Lawmakers name priorities for last 14 days of session

Local legislators are relieved the state budget has been completed as the 2013 legislative session nears an end, but they say the next 14 days will be a scramble to get legislation heard and hopefully passed.

"It's a mad house up there," said state Rep. George Dodge, D-Santa Rosa, who's district includes Roosevelt and Curry counties. "The last 14 days are the toughest."

Dodge, who chairs the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, said his concerns are focused on threats of water speculation.

"There are entities that would love to tie up water rights for 30 to 40 years," Dodge said. Dodge said that water could include anything from irrigation to ground water.

"Preventing water speculation will ensure that we'll have plenty of water for people in our area," Dodge said. "We're working very closely with the state's engineering office."

State Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, said one of the issues he thinks needs to be brought to the forefront are the state's retirement programs for teachers.

"That's something that we really got to take care of," Ingle said. "For years they made enough money in their stock investments but the wages have changed so much in the last 10 years for teachers. It hasn't been good enough to keep up with the cost of living adjustments."

He says he's supporting a bill that will keep the fund physically sound and should be up to 100 percent funding by 2040. He says the retirement fund for teachers right now is about 60 percent funded.

"It's a long way but it's a huge amount of growth," Ingle said. "We want it to work."

Both legislators are hoping to resolve the issue regarding the elimination of driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

Ingle said there are four bills proposing a solution and he supports driver's licenses for U.S. citizens and for the "dreamers," which are students studying in the U.S. as defined in the federal Dream Act.

Dodge said he's reviewing all legislation before he decides which one to back but understands the need for illegal immigrants who to drive to work.

Both men have proposed legislation as well.

Ingle said he passed an unemployment bill that will be fair for businesses in regards to the taxes they pay for unemployment.

Dodge is hoping to get his bill passed regarding the right to farm, which protects farmers, producers and ranchers from losses when private homeowners move into rural areas.

Dodge said people who move within the vicinity of dairy or farm have had such discrepancies with the farms such as the smell or the amount of flies attracted to the area.

He hopes to protect farmers and producers from being sued over what he considers ridiculous issues.

"Someone moves right into a dairy, you know what you're getting, you know what you're buying," Dodge said. "You should have looked into that before you bought the house. That's my point."