After the hectic 2019 legislative session that included a minimum wage increase affecting all NMRA members, the 2020 session has paled in comparison. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining. 2020 has been the calmest session in my 17 years at NMRA. You can see all the bills we were following on your behalf here.
Here is a recap of the 2020 session.
Our biggest challenge had to do with the State Environment Departments’ bill to raise inspection fees from the current $200 up to a graduated $700. This was Senate Bill 209. It passed two Senate committees and died on a 13-24 floor vote in the Senate. Talk to your Senator about what an increase like this means to your restaurant in the interim.
We liked House Bill 44, a bill that would allow working New Mexicans to set up and contribute to a retirement account without having the burden be on the business to incur the fees and heavy regulations to set up a retirement account for employees. This bill passed both the House and the Senate and is, as of this publication, waiting on the signature of the Governor.
Many bills were not ruled germane to the session. Because this is a short, budget-only session, lasting 30-days. The only bills that are relevant are bills related to the state’s budget. The Governor can also put bills she wants to deal with on the docket at the “call” of the Governor.
Among the bills not ruled germane this session were all of the Liquor Bills except for SB 85 the Liquor Excise Tax which died in Senate Corporations Committee:
*Note that the Cannabis Legislation is on this list. It was ruled germane by the Governor but did not get through in the 30-day session. There were many problems with this particular bill and the legislature was smart not to pass it.
House Bill 16 Paid Family and Medical Leave was not ruled germane so it did not get heard.
I predict all of these bills will show up again next year for the 60-day free-for-all session.
Please feel free to call or email with your thoughts about this session: Carol Wight 505-343-9848 executive@nmrestaurants.org
