The draft bills in the House are for minimum wage increases, supportive and rapid rehousing for the homeless, a pregnant workers accommodation act, an employee pr eference act, no public employee union dues from payroll, and a LGBTQ health disparities task force.
A bill proposed by lawmakers Luciano “Lucky” Varela and Sheryl Williams Stapleton pushes for a raise in the minimum wage up to $10.10 per hour.
“However, if the consumer price index for the western region for urban wage earners and clerical workers, as published by the United States Department of Labor, increases from its measure on the prior January 1, then beginning on the next July 1, an employer shall pay an employee no less than the previous year’s minimum wage rate adjusted upward by an amount in proportion to that increase,” according to the proposed House Bill 20.
Rep. Tomas E. Salazar will introduce a bill proposing appropriations of $1 million from the general fund to the Human Servic es Department to be spent by New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority in fiscal year 2016. If passed, it would support homeless people.
The services to be provided by the Human Services Department include assistance in the transitional supportive housing, permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing, according to the draft bill.
“No more than five percent of this appropriation shall be used by the NM Mortgage Finance Authority for administrative purposes,” according to HB 47.
Another bill proposed by Rep. Gail Chasey would require employers to prohibit discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or a related condition. HB 37 requires that employees arrange for reasonable accommodation of an employee’s or job applicant’s pregnancy, childbirth or other related issues.
The bill stresses for prohibition of retaliation “for an employee’s or job applicant’s assertion of a claim pursuant to the pregnant worker accommodation act,” according to the draft bill.
Senator Sander Rue will introduce the “Employee Preference Act.” The draft bill stresses the prohibition of mandatory membership and payment of fees in the labor organization.
“A person shall not be required as a condition of hiring, promotion or continued employment with an employer, to become or remain a member of a labor organization or to pay any dues or fees or charges of any kind to any labor organization,” according to Senate Bill 92.
The bill also discourages involvement of labor organizations in the hiring and firing processes.
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Rue has also proposed changes to the public employee bargaining act to prohibit payroll deductions of membership dues. According to the proposed changes in SB 93, payroll deductions of the exclusive representative’s membership dues should not be subject to bargaining. According to the existing law, the payroll deductions could be negotiated.
Sen. Jacob R. Candelaria has proposed in Senate Joint Memorial 1 requesting the secretary of health to convene a lesbian, gay, bixesual, transgender and queer health disparities task force to analyze health dis parities and make recommendations for addressing those health disparities.
Sayyed Shah is the assistant news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at assistant-news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @mianfawadshah.
