On February 2, Terri Cole, President and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, and Del Esparza, Chair of GACC and CEO of Esparza Digital + Advertising, were featured in an article by the Albuquerque Journal discussing the third week of the legislative session.
The article addressed the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. This act proposes a tax on employees and businesses with more than five workers to fund nine to twelve weeks of paid leave for parental, medical, or safety reasons.
Cole voiced her opposition during a public comment period at the bill's first committee hearing. She clarified that while the Chamber supports maternity leave, other aspects of the bill are problematic. These include fees imposed on employers and employees and potential negative impacts on small businesses.
Esparza noted that many New Mexico employers have fewer than 50 workers, categorizing them as small businesses. He expressed concerns about possible disruptions due to how much time off employees could take under this bill. "To have this kind of disruption where an employee can take as much time off as they feel... would have a very adverse effect on businesses," he told the Journal. "And I think some businesses just would not survive."
The Chamber is in favor of Senate Bill 169 regarding site readiness. This bill proposes $24 million for a pilot program aimed at establishing site readiness. Esparza emphasized its importance: “We don’t have the sites, and the developers aren’t incentivized to build them via spec,” he said.
Crime and public safety remain significant priorities for the Chamber. Although no legislation has been introduced yet to support Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s proposal for funding business safety measures like hiring security personnel until crime is under control, Cole anticipates Chamber support once it is introduced. She also stressed that aggressive criminal penalty measures are necessary to address core crime issues in New Mexico.
“If we cannot fix the safety component of this state, it’s going to be pretty hard for us to bring more people to the state, expand more businesses and locate more new businesses here,” Cole stated.
