Moments ago, the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee voted 6-5 to send House Bill 11, sponsored by Rep. Christine Chandler (D-Los Alamos, Sandoval & Santa Fe) to the House floor.
“Unfortunately, despite changes made to the bill, it remains costly and burdensome to New Mexico small businesses,” said Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. “The bill will raise taxes on employees and employers by hundreds of millions of dollars a year and leave businesses struggling to find temporary employees to fill the gaps left by those on leave or simply doing without.
“This legislation makes New Mexico less competitive and less attractive as a place to do business, Cole said. “There’s a much better bill, HB 446 sponsored by Rep. Rebbeca Dow (R-Doña Ana, Sierra & Socorro), that focuses just on maternal and paternal leave. It’s much less disruptive to the workplace, and most businesses would support this legislation.”
HB 446 would be funded from existing state revenues and require no tax increase.
“That bill would be easy to implement, less costly and business friendly,” Cole said.
If passed by the House, HB 11 will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.
More in-depth coverage will be provided in tonight’s Legislative RoundUp.
Stay tuned.