New Mexico State Senator Dede Feldman's Blog

Cigarette Tax Hike a Win Win for NM

    The Albuquerque Journal today published an op ed I wrote about Senate Bill 30, and the day before they published a summary of the results of my constituent survey,which indicated that 86% of the now-800 respondents (out of 4,500 surveys sent to frequent voters in District 13)  favor a cigarette tax hike.  Tax increases are usually a last resort-- and I'm really not the tax lady.  But the alternative is continued cuts in education and health care that have already hit working families hard.  That doesn't seem fair when there is an alternative that will help pay for our health care costs, discourage smoking, and generate $33 million towards our revenue shortfall.

     Here' s a link http://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/guest_columns/30212540opinion01-30-10.htm and a version of the article: 

    No Butts, Tax Hike a Win-Win

 

By Sen. Dede Feldman

Democrat, Albuquerque

          All of the proposals to solve New Mexico's budget crisis will involve difficult choices. But one proposal is actually a win-win-win for our state — raising the cigarette tax by one dollar per pack.

        Win One: A dollar-a-pack tax will generate more than $33 million per year in badly needed tax revenue to help fund important programs from public safety to higher education.

        This revenue source will continue year after year and allow us to avoid cuts in critical basic state services.

        Win Two: Increasing cigarette taxes will reduce the number of children and teens who smoke. According to the U.S. surgeon general, making cigarettes more expensive is the most effective deterrent to young people starting to smoke.

        When cigarettes are more expensive, fewer kids will choose to take up the noxious habit because of their limited disposable income. Studies show that a 10 percent increase in cigarette tax slashes teen smoking rates by about seven percent.

        State programs to discourage youth smoking have yielded some results in the past few years, but now tobacco settlement funds used for this purpose may be diverted to fill the budget gap. An increased price will serve the same purpose, and in fact, there is no more effective method of curtailing teen smoking.

        Win Three: Increasing cigarette taxes will save the state millions in Medicaid expenses.

        For each pack of cigarettes sold here, New Mexico Medicaid spends $2.78 for treatment of tobacco related illnesses among our state's poor and working people.

        In New Mexico, a staggering 100 million packs of cigarettes are sold in a single year. Even a small reduction in smoking rates will pay enormous dividends in reduced Medicaid spending.

        Many of the arguments against the tax are simply based in fallacy.

        Cigarette taxes do not hurt businesses. In states where cigarette taxes have been increased, there has been no appreciable reduction in retail sales. Money not spent on cigarettes is simply shifted to other consumer goods.

        Cigarette taxes are not unfair to the poor. In fact, the poor are the most likely to be stricken by smoking-related illnesses like cancer and emphysema.

        The poor are statistically the most likely to quit smoking when taxes go up.

        Better yet, the tax is completely avoidable, unlike income taxes. Smokers can take advantage of the numerous smoking cessation programs funded by the state and nonprofit groups. They can save their health and save a dollar a pack at the same time.

        A huge majority of voters support increased cigarette taxes, especially when compared to more broad based taxes like taxes on food and merchandise.

        A poll completed last January by Research and Polling of 500 registered voters from around the state shows that 76 percent of respondents support a dollar-a-pack increase in cigarette taxes. Fifty-seven percent of those who identified themselves as smokers support the tax increase. I cannot imagine any other revenue enhancer or budget cut that would enjoy such widespread support among the public.

        It is rare in government that we have an opportunity for a win-win-win. I urge my colleagues in the Legislature and the governor to join with the American Cancer Society, the Heart and Lung Association as well as an array of other community groups to support Senate Bill 30, the dollar-a-pack cigarette tax to help balance our budget.

       

Better Choices Press Conference-Santa Fe 1-26-2010

We all want choices that balance the state budget without hurting New Mexico working families. There are better choices that raise revenue and balance the budget without jeopardizing New Mexico's future. Consider the choices.  Make your voice heard and let me know what you think.

[ Also see the results of the district 13 constituent survey at http://bit.ly/82yVXJ  and visit http://betterchoicesnewmexico.com/about  for more revenue raising options. ]

Musicians from Reginald Chavez Elementary and Washington Middle School

These students from Reginald Chavez Elementary School and Washington Middle School really put on a show. Enjoy!

 

Opening Day at the Roundhouse 2010

Here are some shots from opening day.... in the first, left to right, Sen. John Pinto, of Tohatchi,Sen. George Munoz, of Gallup, Sen. John Sapien, of Corrales, and Sen. Dede Feldman. Sen. Mary Jane Garcia is on the right.   Below, Sen. Feldman and Sen. Wilson-Befford, both Albuquerque girls.

Getting Ready for the Session: A Personal Story

The Fashion Show
Women legislators bear a special burden in getting ready for the legislative session—assembling their wardrobes.  The roundhouse is a veritable fashion show, every day, with clerks and secretaries dressed to the gils, men in pin stripped suits, suede, leather, turquoise and high heels abounding

So, the weekend before the session I find my self in the humiliating position of making a list of what I’m going to wear, so I can figure out what to take up to my digs in Santa Fe. This is no small task, since I am coming home for weekends and often for a night here and there during the week, I’m always discovering that I only have the brown hose to wear with the black outfit, because I left the black ones in Santa Fe.  I used to take solace in the fact that the eyesight of my fellow Senators, most in their 60s, wasn’t up to telling the difference especially at a distance, but now we’ve got a new crop of hot shots who go for the girls.

This doesn’t seem fair… in addition to figuring out how we can achieve administrative savings in the Medicaid program, I’m flummoxed over whether one can really wear a Chinese style lime green jacket over a pair of black pants on opening day. Opening day is the real show, where the women wear corsages and bring out their big guns—New Mexico style. Squash blossom necklaces, leather jackets and broom stick skirts (or the upscale variant thereof) get equal time with the latest in fashion dictates—whether it be the huge purse, the slim pant, the lace-up boots or the sweater jacket.  We have our unique style-- the cell phone attached to the concho belt, the cowboy boot under the velvet pants, the bolo tie with the silk shirt.  It’s hard to keep up.  Sometimes, I’m hoping just to get by with street clothes. 

This year’s strategy:  A series of black jackets (I bought two yesterday on north 4th for about $20 each, used)  with some on-sale business type pants from the sale rack at TJ Maxx.  Except for the alterations on the pants (I’m short) which were done at Sadies, also on 4th, (this is another story),  this year’s recession-era wardrobe has cost about $150. 

Of course, I won’t be able to keep up with  my fellow female Senators  especially Cynthia Nava ( a tribute to daring, creativity and dedication) , Linda Lopez ( the pink lady whose carriage and grace makes anything look good) and Sue Befford, (whose business style, classic taste and fabulous  handkerchiefs would make all of our mothers proud ).  Well, at least Ramsay Gorham has ceded the field, along with her designer suits and perfect hair.

These results just in...Constituents Favor Tax Increases – Not Continued Cuts – to Solve State’s Budget Shortfall, but 81% Reject Food Tax

    89% are Unsatisfied with the Administration at UNM

69% Oppose Relaxing Environmental Regulations to Allow More Drilling

     Sen. Dede Feldman (D-Bernalillo) today released the results of her annual constituent survey, which was sent in late December to 4,500 of her voting constituents.  Also, for the first time, the survey was available on her website (www.dedefeldman.com) and blog (senatorfeldman.typepad.com). Feldman represents District 13, which covers the near North Valley of Albuquerque, including Old Town and parts of the West Side and near-Heights.

            Close to 660 constituents responded to the 12-question survey, with results still coming in. “Although this is not a scientific survey,” Feldman says, “it gives me a good idea of what people want.”

            With the budget shortfall the focus of the forthcoming legislative session, constituents were asked what the legislature should do to balance the state’s budget. With a comfortable margin, respondents selected increasing taxes or rolling back earlier tax cuts over any additional program cuts. Also, respondents were more likely to favor targeted spending cuts rather than across-the-board salary reductions in order to decrease state spending.

            Asked specifically about which taxes they would favor, 86% would increase taxes on tobacco, 84.4% wanted increases in alcohol taxes and 81.2% wanted taxes on soft drinks. However, 81% opposed going back to a gross receipt taxes (GRT) on food and 75.2% oppose an increase in GRT across the board.

At the bottom of the list for cuts were public education and programs for the poor like food stamps, housing and homelessness.

            Regarding Taxes:

·      88.7% favor a combined reporting tax to close a loophole that allows large out-of-state corporations to evade taxation

·      76.8% favor imposing a tax on junk food

·      70.1% favor imposing a surtax on personal income above $150,000 in yearly income

·      62.3% favor removing (or reducing) the tax credit given to the film industry

·      54.6% oppose increasing the gas tax

·      53.3% oppose an increased premium tax on health insurance companies 52.9% favor removing the personal income tax cuts given across the board in 2003

·      52.4% favor an increase in the excise tax on automobiles

 Among other results:

·      89.1% are unsatisfied with the administration of the University of New Mexico

·      79.4% support giving the same legal rights to domestic partners who have lived together for a long period of time (whether they be of the same sex or opposite sex) as those afforded to married couples

·      76.7% favor mandatory treatment and medication in order to prevent people who are mentally ill from harming themselves and others

·      69.3% oppose relaxing environmental regulations to allow for more drilling for the oil and gas industry

 Though Ethics Reform will not be the focus of the short legislative session, it received a lot of positive responses in the survey with

·      96.5% favoring banning contributions from lobbyists to state officials,

·      96.3% favoring banning contributions from potential contractors to state officials,

·      96% favoring the enactment of a whistleblower protection act and,

·      78.6% favoring the formation of a state ethics commission

 Regarding Health Care:

·      90.3% favor requiring health insurers to utilize at least 85% of premiums collected for direct services for those covered

·      89.6% want to maintain the current benefits and eligibility for Medicaid

·      89.2% favor requiring insurance companies to offer coverage to any individual regardless of pre-existing medical conditions

·      85.5% favor excluding gender as a factor in charging premiums