NMAC News Brief 3/14/2013
ALL AFFILIATES
NEW! NMAC LEGISLATIVE SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
HB 37 (R. Martinez) Delinquent Property Tax Sales; unanimous due pass to the Senate floor; on Senate calendar 3/14/13.
HB 73 - Expands the Convention Center Financing Act to include any civic center or similar facility intended for public use; expands the pool of qualified municipalities to include any incorporated municipality or Los Alamos County.
03/13/2013 S Opened for floor debate
03/13/2013 S Passed 40-0
HB 219 - Requires counties to provide a sufficient number of poll workers, voting systems, ballot printers and voting booths to process without delay the maximum number of voters eligible to vote on election day from the precincts consolidated into a voting location.
03/13/2013 H Enrolled and engrossed
03/13/2013 H Signed by Officers of House
03/13/2013 S Signed by Officers of Senate
HB 225 - (Similar to HB 497)Provides that a registered voter may update the voter’s registration certificate electronically by completing a form on the Secretary of State’s website. The Secretary would then transmit the updated certificate to the county clerk where the voter resides, and the clerk would print it and file it in the voters’ register.
03/13/2013 S Reported Do Pass by Senate Judiciary
03/13/2013 S Opened for floor debate
03/13/2013 S Passed 38-0
HB 334 – County Officials: Salary Limit Increases; on Senate calendar 3/14/13.
HB 438 - (Identical to SB415) Provides that a person sentenced to incarceration of one year or less for a felony conviction is not required to be sentenced to a mandatory period of parole. At sentencing, however, the parties may agree to a parole period. Parole cannot be required for an offender convicted of a misdemeanor or petty misdemeanor who has served the sentence of imprisonment at an institution designated by the Corrections Department.
03/13/2013 S Reported Do Pass by Senate Judiciary
03/13/2013 S Opened for floor debate
03/13/2013 S Passed 38-0
HB497 - (Similar to HB 225) Provides that a registered voter may update the voter’s registration certificate electronically by completing a form on the Secretary of State’s website. The Secretary would then transmit the updated certificate to the county clerk where the voter resides, and the clerk would print it and file it in the voters’ register.
03/14/2013 H House concurred with Senate amendments
SB 27 - SFC substitute for SB27 makes a number of revisions to the Public Employee Retirement Act.
Changes to the PERA became necessary as a result of investment losses to the retirement fund. In order to make the fund solvent in the long-term, several changes had to be made. These include (along with others):
- Reduction of cost of living adjustments (COLA), from 3% to 2% for most retirees
- Delays eligibility for cost of living increase from 2 to 7 years, with a 4 year phase-in period
- Allows a 2.5% COLA for members who have been retired 25 years and earn a pension of less than $20,000.
- Suspends COLA for return-to-work retirees reemployment with the Educational Retirement Board
- Increases the employee contribution rate 1.5% for members to who earn more than $20,000
- Increases employer contribution rate .4%
- Increases pension maximum from 80% to 90% of a five year average salary
03/13/2013 H Removed from Speaker's table
03/13/2013 H Placed on House Calendar
03/13/2013 H Opened for floor debate
03/13/2013 H Note: Tabled - (Amendment 1) 194257.1 (Rep. Emily Kane) Voice Vote
03/13/2013 H Floor amendments failed (Amendment 1) 194256.1 (Rep. Emily Kane) 15-50
03/13/2013 H Passed 48-17
SB40 - Provides that electronic communication and recording devices are contraband and prohibited from being brought into a prison or jail. Under current law, it is a third degree felony to bring contraband into a prison and a fourth degree felony to bring contraband into a jail. A definition for contraband is provided.
03/14/2013 S Senate concurred with House amendments
SB 54 - (For the New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee) Appropriates $2 million from the Public Project Revolving Fund to the Local Government Planning Fund administered by the New Mexico Finance Authority for use in FY2014 and subsequent years to fund local government planning for infrastructure, water or wastewater public project needs, or to develop water conservation plans, long-term master plans or energy audits, and to pay the administrative costs of the Local Government Planning Program. This is a nonreverting appropriation.
03/12/2013 S Enrolled and engrossed
03/12/2013 S Signed by Officers of Senate
03/12/2013 H Signed by Officers of House
SB 315 - Revises Chapters 3 and 4 of the state statutes relating to official land-use plans adopted by municipalities and counties. All references to a “general plan” or “master plan” have been changed to “comprehensive plans” and new, detailed requirements are imposed for the adoption of a comprehensive plan by municipalities and counties.
03/14/2013 H Removed from Speaker's table
03/14/2013 H Placed on House Calendar
03/14/2013 H Opened for floor debate
03/14/2013 H Passed 67-0
SB 353 - SJC substitute for SB353 truncates the original bill by omitting six sections, leaving only that portion necessary to cite a section of present law that allows counties and municipalities to charge reasonable fees for the use of their computer and network system to retrieve their records, geographic information system and computer databases. Now the substitute stands as only a clarification of existing law.
03/14/2013 H Removed from Speaker's table
03/14/2013 H Placed on House Calendar
03/14/2013 H Opened for floor debate
03/14/2013 H Passed 68-0
SB 431 - Expands the powers of the boards of county commissioners under the Miscellaneous Powers of Counties Act to allow a board to contract with individuals for firefighting services. Currently counties are limited to contracting with municipalities for firefighting services
03/13/2013 S Enrolled and engrossed
03/13/2013 S Signed by Officers of Senate
03/13/2013 H Signed by Officers of House
REGISTER NOW! 2013 WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE SUMMIT – NM EDGE TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR ICS 402
Registration for the 2013 Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Summit is now open. The Summit will be held April 3-4 in Taos, New Mexico. The registration is $55.00 through April 2nd and $75.00 for onsite registration.To register, click here The Sagebrush Inn will serve as the host hotel and is located at 1508 Paseo del Pueblo Sur. Reservations can be made by contacting the hotel directly at 1-800-428-3626 or 575-758-2254. A room block has been reserved at a single/double rate of $79.00. Rooms are still available and will be on a first come, first serve basis. We look forward to seeing you at the WUI Summit!
NMAC and NM EDGE have partnered to offer a special training opportunity for WUI Summit Participants
Incident Command System (ICS) 402 Course(HS 110 in the NM EDGE class catalog) – Overview for Executives/Senior Officials
This class is scheduled for Thursday, April 4th from 8:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Participants must be registered for the WUI Summit in order to attend this training and must meet the following additional requirements for NM EDGE credit:
·To enroll in this class go to reg.nmedge.nmsu.edu
·Current Students use your student number and password
·New Students must create an NM EDGE student account
·Students wanting NM EDGE credit for the class must enroll in the class using the NM EDGE Student Record and Enrollment Site (reg.nmedge.nmsu.edu).
·In the Event pull-down menu look for WUI Summit. The class number is HS 110.
·On-site enrollment may be accepted if other requirements are met.
·The standard fees apply (questions about the fee should be referred to NM EDGE staff/ or 505 424 0744)
·Students must show up to the class 20 minutes early to complete the pre-test and must stay after to complete the post-test and evaluation
For assistance enrolling or for questions regarding NM EDGE credit should be directed to NM EDGE at , 505-424-0744 or 575-646-5424.
NEW! COUNTY COLLEGE NM EDGE CLASSES
NEWLY DEVELOPED IT PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION
On behalf of the NM EDGE and the NM IT Curriculum Committee, in collaboration with our Strategic Partners, we are pleased toannounce the completion of the New Mexico Certified IT Professional curriculum! This newly developed certification will be added to our New Mexico Public Sector Specializations program, which is open to all public servants in State, Municipal, County, and General Public Service Sectors. NM EDGE anticipates launching classes later this year.
A special thanks to each of the IT Curriculum Committee Members who gave freely of their time and expertise to craft this certification. Without their diligence this project would never have reached completion! Thanks, too,to University of North Carolina for offering the use of their IT Curriculum Model for our tweaking, to Laura Gonzales for securing UNC’s permission, and to the New Mexico Association of Counties for sponsoring lunch at one of our curriculum development meetings. This was truly a group effort with many contributing to the successful completion of this challenging and important project.For more information contact The NM EDGE at 505 424 0744 or 575 646 5424,or visit the website
NEW! NMDA DEADLINE TO REQUEST FREE LIVESTOCK SCALE INSPECTION: MARCH 29
New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) is reminding New Mexicans who own livestock scales that they have until Friday, March 29, to request an inspection of their scales for 2012. People making requests after that date will incur a fee for the inspection.
A change to the Livestock Scale Inspection Program in 2011 means that routine inspections are no longer restricted to the month of August. Inspections are now conducted between April 1 and December 31 of every year.
Requests for inspections can be made in one of several different ways:
·NMDA’s website: under the dropdown Inspections menu, look for Livestock Scale Inspections
·Phone: (575) 646-1616 during regular business hours
·Fax: (575) 646-2361
·Mail: Standards and Consumer Services, MSC 3170, Box 30005, Las Cruces, NM
The initial routine inspection will be conducted at no charge unless:
·Your request for an inspection was received after the March 29 deadline
·You need your scale inspected before the date it’s scheduled to occur
·You request an additional inspection in the same calendar year
·You request re-inspection of a scale previously inspected this year that had results of “No Test” because of a dirty beam box/house with excessive rodent nests or droppings
·You request re-inspection of a scale that was previously inspected and rejected this year
·Your scales are not ready for inspection when the inspector is in the area
Any fees incurred will be based on the current Fees for Weights and Measures Services schedule.
If you have sold or leased your property, please forward this information to the new owner/operator so that he/she can contact NMDA. If you know anyone with scales that might need to be inspected, please have him or her contact NMDA for information on our Livestock Scale Inspection Program. All inquiries should be directed to Raymond Johnson at (575) 646-1616 or at .
NEW!NEW MEXICO ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON STATE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN
SANTA FE, NM - The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Solid Waste Bureau (SWB) will be updating the state’s 2007 Solid Waste Management Plan and is seeking public comments as guidance in drafting the 2013 document. Those wishing to participate may complete a short online survey about the 2007 plan and provide suggestions for improvements to the next version of this plan. SWB staff will prepare a revised draft plan based on survey results, and the draft will be distributed to all stakeholders who have indicated they want to be notified. A public meeting will be held to discuss the draft and input from this meeting will be used for revisions and creation of a final report.
To review the 2007 SWM Plan go:
To participate in the survey go to:
Please complete the survey and submit all comments by March 31, 2013
Due in part to those involved during the last stakeholder process, we have been able to implement a large number of goals outlined in the 2007 Solid Waste Management Plan. We applaud their efforts and look forward to collaboratively creating another achievable plan. The 2007 Solid Waste Management Plan has guided New Mexico to success in several measures: increasing our statewide recycling rate to 21% (2011), improving access to recycling for many communities, improving the annual reporting tools, and implementing environmental justice policies in our permitting process. For more information, please contact: Joan Snider, NMED Solid Waste Bureau, Outreach Section. 505-827-2780;
NEW! JUVENILE ADJUDICATION FUND FY14 APPLICATION
The Juvenile Adjudication Fund (JAF) FY14 Application for funding was released March 1, 2013. You can find the application documents on the DFA website at: Applications are due on Thursday, March 28, 2013 by 4:00 pm at DFA.
Please feel free to contact Liza Luboff, LDWI Bureau Chief, (505) 827-4441 or Jonathan Fernandez at (505) 827-4748 if you have any questions.
WATCH NOW! WHY COUNTIES MATTER VIDEO!
NACo has produced a new video on “Why Counties Matter”. Help spread the word on what county government does for the people in their counties. This video is now available on our website at To view it, click on Formal Partners National Association of Counties.
*****NACo NEWS*****
ACT NOW! NACo WESTERN INTERSTATE REGION (WIR) CONFERENCE
Coconino County is hosting an optional tour on Tuesday, May 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Click here to read the tour description:WIR Conf Optional Tour May 21
Please email if you would like to participate. Space is limited.
NEW! NACo HEADLINE STORIES
/ 'Why Counties Matter,' front and center at Legislative ConferenceMore than 1,500 county government officials gathered in Washington, D.C. at NACo's Legislative Conference March 2–5 to take the "Why Counties Matter" message to Capitol Hill and to learn new ways to keep their communities safe, secure and prosperous.
Read More
/ 'Don't mess with our bonds,' locals tell Washington
NACo president Chris Rodgers and leaders from the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors called on Congress and the Administration to reject proposed changes in the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.
Read More
Not too late to plan for National County Government Month
Smart Justice: Creating Safer Communities is the theme for National County Government Month in April. A booklet full of ideas to celebrate NCGM is available. NACo will again present valuable awards to six counties for their outstanding NCGM activities. Learn More
Contact: Jim Philipps · 202.942.4220
The Annual County Arts and Culture Award program recognizes county governments for their efforts in enriching American cultural and intellectual life, promoting lifelong learning and protecting the national heritage. Apply and Learn More
Contact: Dan Gillison · 202.942.4278
Helping counties improve community health
In partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute, NACo will be providing counties with information and insight about how to develop effective local programs and policies that can improve overall community health. Learn More
Contact: Maeghan Gilmore · 202.942.4261
Pipeline safety grant applications deadline: March 29
The pipeline safety technical assistance grant program will provide up to $50,000 in funding to communities and non-profit groups for engineering or other scientific analysis of pipeline safety, or to help promote public participation in official proceedings pertaining to pipeline safety. Apply and Learn More and Register
Contact: James Davenport · 202.661.8807
Register for the NACo National Cyber Symposium
Hosted by the University of Nebraska, the symposium will take place April 17–19 in Omaha, Neb. It will provide intensive, focused learning opportunities on cyber policies, mitigating threats, and best practices and solutions for local officials and IT personnel. Register and Learn More
Contact: Karon Harden · 202.942.4277
Register for WIR and Save
NACo's 2013 Western Interstate Region Conference, May 22–24 in Coconino County (Flagstaff), Ariz., will focus on public lands and issues critical to Western counties. Workshop topics will spotlight economic development, immigration, disaster recovery and more. Attend to hear from expert speakers and network with other county officials. Register and Learn More
Contact: Amanda Clark · 202.661.8804
NACo Annual Conference is now: 2013 County Solutions and Marketplace
A new name goes along with the new format for the NACo Annual Conference. Registration opens, today, March 12. The event, hosted by Tarrant County (Ft. Worth), Texas, has been trimmed to four days — Friday, July 19 until Monday, July 22. Make sure you take a look at the new schedule because this isn't the conference of the past. Register and Learn More
Contact: Kim Struble · 202.942.4261
NEW! NACo LEGISLATIVE NEWS
House Approves Stop-Gap Funding BillOn March 6, the House of Representatives approved a six-month stop-gap Continuing Resolution (CR; H.R. 933) by a vote of 267-151. The measure provides $984 billion for discretionary spending, which includes the $85 billion in automatic cuts (sequestration) that went into effect March 1.More
New NACo policies adopted at D.C. conference
NACo's policy steering committees deliberated over a two-day period at the Legislative Conference on policy concerns of significant importance to the nation's counties. Read More
Rural Economy Hearing Focuses on Sequester Effects at USDA
On March 5, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing which promised to discuss the state of the rural economy, but the vast majority of the questions dealt with the impact of sequestration on USDA. In particular, committee members wanted assurances from the Agriculture Secretary that sequester cuts would not disrupt the safety or markets of the meatpacking industry through furloughing meat inspectors.More
New CBO Estimates Make Writing Farm Bill Harder
On March 1, the Congressional Budget Office said that if enacted this year, the Farm Bills proposed last year in the Senate and the House would produce much smaller savings. The new cost estimates could have a significant impact as Congress begins debating the Farm Bill again, although these cost estimates did not lead to any change in the baseline funding available for the next Farm Bill.More
Senators Introduce Bill to Tighten Background Checks for Gun Buyers with Mental Illness
On March 6, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and a bi-partisan group of senators introduced legislation to clarify when individuals lose the right to receive or possess firearms due to mental illness. The NACo platform supports laws rendering "adjudicated mental defectives or persons committed to a mental institution," and illegal drug users ineligible to receive firearms.More
GET INVOLVED NOW! NACo STEERING COMMITTEE VACANCIES