(Albuquerque) Prior to the 2014 legislative session, the Legislative Finance Committee called for 1.5 percent pay hikes for all New Mexico government employees. Gov. Martinez proposed more modest pay increases. Rather than seeing pay increases for all state employees, Martinez planned to boost pay for about one-third of public workers. New teachers would have received higher pay.

In a “compromise” plan the likes of which are only found in government, the Legislature-passed- budget includes 3 percent cost-of-living salary increases for state agency workers and teachers.

Judges, district attorneys, state police and motor-transportation officers would receive 8 percent raises while prison guards, juvenile-justice officers, social workers handling child abuse cases and educational assistants in schools would get 6 percent pay increases.

In other words, the Legislature took its own proposed pay hikes and doubled them…or more.

Ironically, these proposed pay hikes come at a time of conflicting evidence over whether New Mexico’s government workers are overpaid or underpaid.

According to a recent report from New Mexico’s Personnel Office, “New Mexico’s average pay for 115 of 151 (government) job classifications trailed the average pay of the nearby states. Some workers’ average pay trailed the average pay in neighboring states by more than 20 percent including plumbers, biologists, engine mechanics, and chemists.”

The Rio Grande Foundation, on the other hand, analyzed data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and Department of Labor to determine the earnings and compensation differences among employees of similar characteristics, skill sets, and occupations within the public and private sectors.

Using a mathematical tool called regression analysis to isolate relevant factors relating to employee pay including education levels, time of services, and more, the Foundation produced a careful analysis of data on both total compensation and benefits. The study finds that with benefits included, public workers in New Mexico make over 8 percent more in total compensation than a similar worker in the private sector.

Said Rio Grande Foundation president Paul Gessing of the differing approaches to government employee pay, “Gov. Martinez would be entirely justified in vetoing these pay hikes which went far beyond her original budget proposal and which unnecessarily increase the compensation disparity between government and private sector workers in New Mexico.”

Thanks to the show Breaking Bad, many Americans now realize that they don’t need passports to visit New Mexico. We surely appreciate the publicity. But New Mexicans have reason to be even more grateful to another industry.

The New Mexico Tax Research Institute (NMTRI) recently released a study entitled Fiscal Impacts of Oil and Natural Gas Production in New Mexico. It’s impressively researched, including detailed county-level analyses. The results show that absent the tremendous financial impact of the oil and gas industries, New Mexico would be a far different, poorer state.

NMTRI found that 31.5% of the state’s General Fund revenues—the primary source of funding for state public schools and higher education—come from taxes paid by the oil and natural gas industries. The General Fund also pays for state public welfare programs, environmental protection, tourism advertising and support, road construction and maintenance, and many other functions of state government.

Income inequality is a popular discussion topic these days. President Obama made it a central talking point in his recent State of the Union address and policy initiatives – most notably minimum wage hikes – have been proposed as means of reducing such inequality. Unfortunately, while inequality has unquestionably grown in recent years, there are few proven solutions and a lot of heated rhetoric.

It is worth noting that growing inequality is not unique to the United States. According to The Economist, inequality around the world has been growing since the mid-1980s in all areas except impoverished sub-Saharan Africa and the former Soviet Union. In other words, to an extent, inequality is a sign of economic development and strength. There is truth to Franklin Roosevelt’s observation that “Capitalism is unequally divided riches while socialism is equally divided poverty.”

In other words, people are not equal. Their skills and work ethics differ greatly. In a free society, we will all be more prosperous overall, but some will be much more prosperous than others.

I sat down with Margaret Ortiz at TBN for a discussion of the issues moving through the 2014 legislative session. Things are happening fast at this point at the Roundhouse, but this interview remains relevant as it touches on the big, controversial issues facing legislators:

Issues and Legislation Facing the 2014 Legislation from Paul Gessing on Vimeo.

The Rio Grande Foundation released a report in December of 2013 detailing the benefits given to presidents at New Mexico's community colleges. This report caught the attention of Katie Kim at Channel 13, KRQE who put together a major investigative report on the issue. Kim's report aired last night and can be viewed below:

Other than Marty McFly’s time-traveling DeLorean, 1985 is the distant past in terms of technology. Yet some of New Mexico’s phone carriers are still regulated under a law passed that year – before the World Wide Web was created and before wireless broadband connectivity became the norm for our multitude of digital devices. Carriers are governed under different sets of rules, leading to an overly-complicated regulatory mix that hampers competition among carriers and discourages private investment in the state’s telecommunications infrastructure.

SB 152, which has been introduced in the 2014 Legislative Session seeks to harmonize the regulatory scheme, holding all carriers to the same standards. It enjoys bipartisan support from Governor Martinez (R) and Democrats such as bill sponsor Sen. Phil Griego and House Business and Industry Chair Rep. Debbie Rodella. The bill would hold all incumbent phone carriers to the same standards and apply the benefits of a 1999 rural incumbent telephone law evenly throughout the state.

Antiquated telecommunication regulations are holding New Mexico back. According to the 2013 Mercatus Center report "Freedom in the 50 States," New Mexico suffers under some of the heaviest regulatory burdens of any state. The Rio Grande Foundation has spent a great deal of time researching and exposing many of these burdensome regulations, which can undoubtedly improve the economic climate in New Mexico at no cost to the taxpayer.

New Mexico's broadband regulations are a classic case of overregulation that should be addressed for the good of our rural economy. Greater competition inevitably leads to lower prices and greater choice for consumers. Antiquated land line phone service providers remain regulated by a 1985 law that dates before implementation of the internet and smart-phone technology. This outdated regulatory scheme has hindered investment in rural broadband resources throughout our state. Having high-speed Internet access throughout the isolated communities of New Mexico will remain integral, if not a necessity, to spurring the rural economic growth everyone desires, while simultaneously increasing statewide effective educational opportunities.

During the current legislative session, a bi-partisan bill has been introduced that will modernize and improve these regulations in a positive and productive manner to encourage greater private sector broadband investments. A 30-day legislative session is brief, but this modest regulatory improvement of New Mexico's stale broadband regulations can be one commonsense reform that both Republicans and Democrats can agree on.

I urge all New Mexicans to support SB 152.

Tom Mullins
Board Member, Rio Grande Foundation
Candidate foro US Congress, 3rd District