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Thursday, January 22, 2009
NM Sen. Tim Keller Launches Bills to Help State's Economy
Senator Tim Keller (D-Albuquerque), the freshman lawmaker who represents SD 17, is off to a quick start. Yesterday, Sen. Keller announced several bills designed to support economic growth and provide jobs to New Mexicans. The bills cover a wide range of economic issues and address many long term challenges confronting New Mexico.
Speaking with supporters, Sen. Keller stated, “I am committed to growing our economy from the ground up. To be successful any economic program requires targeted planning, oversight, and outcome driven implementation. It is also critical to address a primary limitation hindering our current economic development efforts, talent development, recruitment and retention.”
In an effort to help curb the “brain drain” in our state Sen. Keller is proposing legislation to expand the Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP) to include not only people who are one year residents of New Mexico, but also allow it to cover employee hires who are “returnees,” having either been born in New Mexico or educated in New Mexico. “I hope this is just the beginning of many efforts to keep our top talent in state and provide a path for those who have left to come home to a promising career,” Senator Keller noted.
Additionally, Senator Keller’s economic agenda includes three proposals designed to increase efficiency and long term economic planning within the state: a statute requiring a benchmarking report measuring New Mexico’s progress in key economic areas with other states, a joint memorial asking the Workforce Solutions Department and the Economic Development Department to collaborate to identify, project, and track future employment needs for New Mexico businesses and government, and a bill requiring state agencies to develop an economic impact report for state projects of ten million or more.
The Senator concluded his talk with supporters on an upbeat note, “The economic obstacles which confront us are many but I am confident that together we will fill in the gaps of our economic development efforts and create a path to sustainable, fulfilling, homegrown careers for our citizens.”
Senator Keller sits on the Corporations Committee, Education Committee and Committee on Committees.
January 22, 2009 at 04:19 AM in Economy, Populism, Local Politics, NM Legislature 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Senator Keller seems to off to good start, I think my district will be well represented.
Posted by: VP | Jan 22, 2009 8:02:53 AM
I'm up here in Santa Fe today, and all I see is NO PARKING signs. I had to get here at 7am to snag a spot on the one block of unmetered parking that I found (no, I'm not going to tell you where it is!)
It is outrageous that the NM taxpayers are treated so badly. See if you can get Senator Keller and the rest of your reps to propose building a 4-story GARAGE that will hold at least 200 TAXPAYERS' cars within 2 blocks of the Roundhouse. That's job creation and also very much needed.
Posted by: Ellen Wedum | Jan 22, 2009 8:59:51 AM
A garage is already under construction on Paseo near the Roundhouse.
Posted by: sophie | Jan 22, 2009 10:42:06 AM
Ellen, why didn't you take the train to Santa Fe, and/or use the free Capitol shuttles?
http://www.nmrailrunner.com/parking.asp
Posted by: Michelle Meaders | Jan 22, 2009 12:16:28 PM
Train service does not yet extend to Cloudcroft, or even Alamogordo. Furthermore, the instructions for finding the park-and-shuttle locations are written in "if you lived here, you'd know" format. You think people who come from Clovis know where the De Vargas center is? And later in the session the meetings will go way past the time the last bus leaves the Roundhouse. Nice to know a garage is coming, if it is anything like the Civic Center we can expect it to be completed in 2012.
Posted by: Ellen Wedum | Jan 23, 2009 7:02:01 AM
Drive to Belen and take the train or car pool. Use Google Maps or Mapquest to find where the De Vargas Center is located. If it's up to Jennings and Arthur train service and any other public transportation will never extend anywhere and what we have will be cut. They don't think funds should be spent on anything but things that benefit their friends. You can't have it both ways.
Posted by: JJ | Jan 23, 2009 9:03:57 AM
Chairwoman Wedum, as usual your comments are vapid and uninformed.
Posted by: young Dem | Jan 25, 2009 12:52:27 PM
