UPDATE: Today is Thursday, February 10, 2022. A week remains in this Legislative session.
1. The Voting Rights Bill received a “Do Pass” from the Senate Judiciary Committee after the sixteen-year-old vote was removed in a previous committee hearing.The bill allows anyone to register online with only a social security number. It allows 17 years old to register to vote if they are 18 on election day. If you are a felon who completed your sentence, you are allowed to vote. And if you ask for a ballot in the mail you’ll get on in the mail for the rest of your life. The bill closes schools on election day but does not make election day a state holiday. The bill goes next to the Senate for a vote.
2. The House Taxation and Revenue Committee voted to continue the tax on Social Security. Two bills would have given seniors and the disabled the tax break.
The argument for dropping the tax on Social Security is it would give relief to our New Mexico seniors on fixed incomes. The argument against is that it would give the wealthy a tax break. Similar bills remain in play in the Senate. Income to the state from the tax is $118M.
3. The PayDay loan bill that reduces interest rates from 175% to 36% has passed the House. It now goes to the Senate where similar bills are being considered.
4. The 2022 session was to be a “Tough on Crime” session. The first bill to pass the Senate makes it easier for young offenders to get out of prison. The bill ends teen sentencing to life without parole. The bill required young offenders to be eligible for parole after 15 years and in the interim for another 5 years. The bill has passed the Senate and now goes to the House.
New Mexico Watchman