Legislators preview session

CLOVIS - State Rep. Randy Crowder shared one of his key 2020 legislative session mantras during Wednesday's Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce legislative breakfast.

"Calvin Coolidge said it's more important to kill a bad bill than pass a good one," Crowder said. "I believe that."

Crowder and other local legislators are likely to revisit that thought repeatedly during the upcoming 30-day session, which runs noon Jan. 21 to noon Feb. 20 in Santa Fe.

The state reserves 30-day sessions for budgetary items, but any legislation that receives a special call from the governor can also go forward.

With those in attendance Wednesday enjoying a plate of bacon, eggs and potatoes, Crowder, fellow Clovis representative Martin Zamora and Sen. Pat Woods spoke on their concerns for the upcoming session.

Crowder noted the state was "swimming in money," and expected to have about $1 billion in new money.

"The downside is there are three requests that gobble it up," Crowder said, referring to the governor's children's cabinet, transportation and pension solvency.

Crowder said about $16 million was currently slated for Clovis projects like the Hillcrest Park Senior Center, the effluent water reuse pipeline, the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority and various renovations at Clovis Community College.

Nearly a dozen prefiled bills were highlighted by Crowder, including waiving retiree Social Security benefits from state taxes and a change to the ENMWUA to reflect the departures of Curry County, Grady and Melrose.

"If there are bills you know affect our community, call us," Crowder said, giving his number as 575-760-6526 while recommending text messages because he is frequently in meetings.

"We can only be successful if we're trained and educated by our constituents."

Woods said a legislator's work doesn't end when the session does, and detailed numerous interim meetings he'd attended during the year while discussing forestry, produced water, fracking and electric cars.

On the latter, Woods said he's heard forecasts that electric car usage would outpace gasoline-powered cars in 20 years, and the state may need to look into higher registration fees for electric vehicles.

"We pay for our road funds with gas taxes," Woods said. "How do you get that fair share from an electric vehicle?"

Zamora is getting ready to go into his second session, and noted the job quickly became a family commitment. His wife frequently assists him, as do his daughters. Family members, he said, are finding Dad has a little less spare money to hand out, and joked he now has three jobs that don't pay anything - state representative, farmer and rancher.

Zamora said he first remembered when Curry Republican Party Chairman Rube Render called him to ask him to run for the position, and Zamora said he often asks himself why he didn't just hang up the phone. He proudly touted Republican credentials, but noted, "Once you get in that seat, you're working for everybody."

The legislators figure 2020 capital outlay will be slightly less than 2019, but still a healthy amount.

Crowder noted there will likely be renewed efforts at gun control legislation and expansion of abortion rights. He said the eight Democratic legislators who helped bury abortion legislation last year all have primary opponents for 2020.

He expects recreational marijuana will be hotly debated, and noted he's getting 30 to 40 emails each day dealing with recreational marijuana. Legalization would have several ripple effects, including retiring a fleet of police dogs that are currently trained to alert on marijuana.

The legislators expect a busy session, with goals to deliver a good budget and run out the clock on what they consider to be bad legislation. The area slate - which includes Sen. Stuart Ingle and Rep. Jack Chatfield - is all Republican; they usually find themselves fighting a legislative body controlled by Democrats, 46-24 in the House and 26-16 in the Senate.

"Sometimes the only tactic the minority has," Woods said, "is to debate the damn bill forever."