New Mexico is the only state that divides up its infrastructure budget based on a political formula unrelated to State priorities; one-third of our Capital Outlay budget goes to Senators for earmarking, one-third for House earmarks, and one third is reserved for the Governor. This Friday host Stephen Spitz will sit down with Fred Nathan, founder of the non-profit Think New Mexico, to learn about a House Bill designed to change that. This legislation would establish a planning council to prioritize, vet and monitor the way New Mexico funds its infrastructure projects, which this year will come from about$123 million in severance tax bonds. We will find out how this reform bill fared, what infrastructure projects were actually funded, how these decisions were made, and whether they were in New Mexico’s best interests. Produced with assistance of Jefferson White and Lynn Schibeci.
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