By GREG WHITELos Alamos
Our Legislature is failing to look at the whole picture on a number of bills that will not only hurt but actually kill New Mexicans.
SB 226 seeks to put us on Daylight Savings Time year round. In 1973, Public Law 93-182 enacted year round DST for the whole U.S. beginning Jan. 6, 1974. In October of 1974, it was repealed re-establishing Standard time for the entire U.S. on Oct. 27, 1974. The reason: a significant measurable spike in serious and fatal car accidents involving children going to school in the dark during the months of January and February 1974. The DOE determined no energy savings because what businesses saved on night lighting, homes used for morning lighting and heating. And contrary to popular belief DST does NOT cause the Earth to stop and actually give an extra hour of daylight. It simply shifts the clock.
If you don’t want to change your clock support HB 73 that will keep us on Standard Time year round.
HB 84 Automatic Voter Registration will NOT result in increased voting but WILL make it easier for the perpetrators of domestic violence to find their victims who have left them, by an IPRA request. Current law requires driver license forms to ask if the person wants to register to vote. HB 84 will shift this not just for MVD but ALL agencies that collect your personal information (The Taxation Dept., Human Services, and any other Agency the Secretary of State wants to add) will automatically register you to vote (see page 9 of the Bill) and ONLY the MVD and HSD will have on forms that your being registered to vote automatically.
SB 190 The Intimate Partner Violence Survivor Suffrage will be undermined as domestic violence victims likely will have no idea that when they apply for social services, file their taxes, or give personal information to any State Agency they will be registering to vote and have their real addresses available to their perpetrators as there is no provision requiring the Secretary of State and State Agencies to coordinate (and probably would prove unworkable in real life if it did) so a victim would only have to sign up for the Confidential Address Program once and not continuously have to tell MVD, the Sec. of State and every State Agency Not to register them to vote.
HB 6 and HB 321 will raise the cost of registering your car from $56/yr to $128.50/yr.
Please get involved. Tell your Reps “NO” on HB 6, HB 84, HB 321 and SB 226. Ask them to vote “YES” on HB 73 and SB 190.
