Tax Increases Not On Horizon

By John Larson

SOCORRO – The special legislative session called by Governor Bill Richardson to solve the state’s budget shortfall – sans tax increases - should be wrapping up by the end of the week.
Socorro’s Representative in the House, Republican Don Tripp, told the Mountain Mail that although the session could go a maximum of 30 days, progress is moving quickly to take care of the $200 million deficit.
“Any kind of increases in taxes has been defeated in committee,” Tripp said. “New representatives from Albuquerque introduced bills to raise taxes, including tobacco taxes and gross receipts taxes, but under the Governor’s proclamation new tax increases or salary cuts are not allowed, but just to work with the deficit.”
Senator Howie Morales, Democrat for the 28th District, said the proclamation is too focused, and doesn’t give legislators enough leeway.
“The biggest discussion in committee has been the limited and narrow scope of the Governor’s proclamation,” Morales said. “I feel that if we’re going to address the problem in a productive manner we need to have all the options. It’s such a limited proclamation, and many bills brought forth are not germane and die in committee.”
“I thought that from the beginning,” he said. “I truly believe the legislature should have the right to discuss all resources.
Morales said the state spends $50,000 each day the legislature is in session, and he feels committees should not “spend time on bills that would be vetoed anyway.”
He said three issues in discussion in the Senate were finding non-recurring expenditures, dealing with not reducing salaries, and recurring expenses.
“We’re looking at a lot of the governor’s appointees, and about 60 vacancies that don’t have to be filled,” Morale said.
According to Tripp, members of the House are also discussing the same issue – Gov. Richardson’s appointees.
“It’s the sentiment of many of the legislators that the governor should be looking at some of his unauthorized hires,” Tripp said.
“Our big concern is that we don’t want to get the state in a position where their checks are no good,” Tripp said. “So we’re also looking at next year, and Fiscal Year 2011. If we don’t start cutting from recurring expenses, the hole will get deeper and deeper - if we use only one time, non-recurring money for the deficit.”
Tripp, a member of the Legislative Finance Committee, said the deficit could rise to $650 million by July 2010, the beginning of the next fiscal year.
“We’ve already swept $108 million from various commissions and departments, and put it into the general fund. These are funds that have built up over the years and have not been used. That bill passed the house,” he said. “This is just one time money, so it won’t help next year’s deficit.”
Tripp said education may take a small cut, but not so much as to affect the teaching of students.
“One of the positive things in education is to give teacher more time to teach than be bureaucrats. There is some extra testing that goes on that can be reduced,” he said. “It’s believed that teachers can use tests that are already part of the curriculum.”
Morales said he has conferred with Socorro and Catron superintendents, and understands the needs of the local school systems.
“I’ve been speaking with Dr. (Cheryl) Wilson and she has been very helpful in letting me know how Socorro Consolidated Schools could deal with any financial alternatives. The same goes for Mike Chambers in Magdalena and Bill Green in Quemado,” Morales said. “The support and communication has been very good.”

Tax Increases Not On Horizon