The House Revenue & Taxation Committee on March 1 advanced House Bill 19 as amended, a measure sponsors described as an economic development bill aimed at using existing infrastructure assets and public–private partnerships to diversify New Mexico’s economy.

Sponsors and proponents said the measure is intended to position New Mexico for trade, reshoring and to reduce the state’s role as a “bridge state” for economic activity. Representative Leshner, a sponsor, told the committee the proposal seeks to create diversification and provide options to mitigate supply-chain disruption.

Committee members adopted amendments requested by labor representatives and clarified how a public partner would perform operations and maintenance for a trade-port project. Under the amendment, operations and maintenance would be performed by the public partner except for broadband telecommunications and energy infrastructure components; the amendment also makes the P3 element subject to the Public Works Minimum Wage Act. The committee acted by voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded and moved the bill forward for a vote.

During the brief discussion, Representative Sullivan asked what had been changed from the earlier hearing; sponsors said the changes addressed union concerns and added specific language in the P3 component and a cross-reference to the Public Works Minimum Wage Act. No public testimony was recorded for this item in the transcript provided.

The committee’s action was procedural: sponsors said the bill already had been heard in an earlier, full hearing and that this session was to vote rather than rehear the merits. The committee chair called for a motion; a do-pass recommendation was made and, according to the transcript, there was no recorded opposition when the chair announced the motion carried.

The committee did not provide a roll-call vote or a fiscal-note update during the recorded discussion; sponsors indicated the measure drew on appropriations made in House Bill 2 for the initiative and that the intent was to remove the item from the table and advance it for formal consideration.

The bill will proceed according to House rules to the next legislative steps after the committee’s do-pass recommendation.