[Daniel M. Clark]

I'll be going to Santa Fe for the 1:30pm meeting to discuss HB50, the Internet Sales Gross Receipts Bill. I know it's late notice, but I was only made aware of the meeting yesterday myself. According to the PMA, this bill is practically dead in the water already because the author couldn't get a co-sponsor, but I'm not going to take it for granted.

Any other New Mexico affiliates heading over there today? Let's meet up and organize.

http://legis.state.nm.us/LCS/fileExi...dar/hSched.pdf

[Emilio-ARC]

Great Daniel, I agree, dont take it for granted, if you can make it, be there and represent. Good luck man and let us know how it goes...

[Daniel M. Clark]

If they'll let me blog/tweet from inside the meeting I will, but otherwise I'll be right back here with a report afterward.

[Emilio-ARC]

Very Cool Daniel, we wlook forward to the good news...Please keep us updated..

[mellie]

You're smart not to let up. As we saw last year, a false sense of security can be costly. NC & RI all had reports of being "not likely to pass". Good luck and let me know if you need anything.

[RacerX]

Thanks for posting this. I've been sweating about this all week since I first got word of it from Carolyn Tang's FB post on it.

[Linda - 5starAffiliatePrograms]

Good luck Daniel, look forward to hearing how it goes.
Hope you can help to stop it in it's tracks!

[Daniel M. Clark]

Here's my first round of updates... I'll post more as the process rolls along.

1:27 - it was a close call, but i made it to the meeting room on time. I was, in fact, the first person in.

1:29 - i'm informed by some guy in a suit that i'm not allowed to wear my hat. that sucks, since my hair is sticking up in all kinds of ridiculous ways now.

1:34 - these folks don't believe in starting anywhere near the posted time apparently. more citizens have filed in, but no reps or chairpeople yet.

1:42 - still nothing. this, apparently, is how government works.

[update]

1:49 - in walks a guy wearing what appears to be a snake skin sport jacket. no, up close i see it's just oddly patterned.

1:56 - Vice Chair Thomas Garcia (D) is the first to arrive and take his seat.

2:02 - over a half hour late starting now, and Vice Chair Garcia is still the only representative here. no, wait, he just got up and left.

[Daniel M. Clark]

2:12 - this is getting ridiculous.

2:22 - if nobody rolls in by 2:30, i'm leaving. on the off chance (and it's been declared an off chance by the PMA (I spoke with Rebecca Madigan earlier today), so i'll go with that) that it passes this vote, it still has to go through another committee. i'll show up for that one, and hopefully they won't keep us waiting in this bloody hot room. it's got to be 90 degrees in here. i hate having my time wasted like this.

[Daniel M. Clark]

2:27 - two representatives have seen fit to join us, Dona Irwin (D) and Sandra Jeff (D). Jose Campos (D) has just joined them.

2:31 - more representatives are filing in. the full roster is as follows: Jim R. Trujillo (D), Eliseo Lee Alcon (D) Dona G Irwin (D), Andrew J. Barreras (D), Sandra D. Jeff (D), Vice Chair Thomas A Garcia (D), Chair Debbie A. Rodella (D), Thomas C. Taylor (Minority Floor Leader, R), Jane E. Powdrell-Culbert (R), Keith Gardner (Minority Whip, R) and Shirley A. Tyler (R). The team has a combined batting average of .351, and has won several division penants.

2:41 - first bill up, HB35, an increase of $1 per pack on the price of cigarettes and a proportional increase tax on other tobacco products.

3:06 - still talking about the tobacco tax increase.... i think everyone here is here to talk about it.

[sjangro]

At least you had time to fix your hair Daniel.

[Daniel M. Clark]

Barely, Scott.

A few more updates... sorry I'm not posting anything of interest to affiliates yet, but the debate about the tobacco tax increase is very, very contentious.

3:06 - still talking about the tobacco tax increase.... i think everyone here is here to talk about it.

3:14 - my most unsurprising revelation so far? if i ever want to get into politics, i'm going to need way better hair.

3:19 - half the committee has walked out. government confuses me.

3:24 - almost everyone is back now. the debate about the proposed tobacco tax increase continues...

3:38 - i can't describe how annoying it is to hear everything everyone says prefaced by "madame chair," - and i mean *everything* that *anyone* says, even if they're not talking to the chair!

[ladidah]

That is why I hate politics.

Everything moves s o s l o w . . . !

... and the mind games.

if i ever want to get into politics, i'm going to need way better hair.

LOL!

[Daniel M. Clark]

Here are the last of the notes as I wrote them. I will compile them all, put them into a more presentable format (with capital letters and punctuation ) and post them later tonight, along with an audio recording that I made in the car on the way home. Here's the final batch:

3:51 - debate on tobacco tax has ended, it's been tabled, and more than 1/2 the room left. it's 15 degrees cooler all of a sudden. an hour and ten minutes... if the next bill up takes as long, i'll be here through dinner time.

3:53 - House Bill 36 is up, a bill that...

3:54 - HB36 passes. wow, that was quick. i don't have any idea what that one was about. affiliates, we're up.

3:59 - ten people spoke up in favor of the bill. mostly people who had no idea what they were talking about but were very excited at the prospect of collecting more money for the state, and therefore, their causes.

4:00 - well, i spoke up... i'm outnumbered in the audience 10-1. i was the only one to speak out against it. they go now into the debate portion.

4:14 - the bill author and her "expert witness" are not holding their own very well. at least 3 members are clearly against it.

4:17 - Rep. Keith Gardner is strongly against this measure. he's my favorite player on the team so far.

4:20 - Rep. Jane E. Powdrell-Culbert is against it as well.

4:22 - Rep. Thomas Taylor brought up the Streamlined Sales Tax, but nobody else seemed to know enough about it to talk much about it.

4:28 - Rep. Thomas Garcia seems to be on our side as well. He's not a fan of the too-broad language in the bill.

4:36 - my overall feeling is that the committee could very well go for this legislation in concept, were it written in a better bill. i don't think that any of them understand affiliate marketing at all. we'll need to keep an eye on New Mexico from this point on - i have a feeling it's not over yet.

4:39 - Rep. Jose Campos is not on our side, necessarily. he wants to tax the internet, but is unhappy with the way the bill is written.

4:43 - House Bill 50, the "affiliate tax" bill in New Mexico, has been tabled. i'm going home a little disappointed at the outcome, but tabled is better than passed.

[AffiliateHound]

Great work, Daniel!

Had you not been there, HB 50 might well have gone the same route as HB36.

[ladidah]

Can you explain "tabled" please.

Meaning it went on the table but no outcome resulted? Inconclusive?

Just guessing here...

No politics is not my forte.

[AffiliateHound]

"Tabled" means no further action. While it is possible (procedures vary from state to state) that it could be re-calendared for further action sooner, usually it means that it will not be acted on unless it is re-submitted at the next legislative session. The number of sessions per year and timing of them also vary from state to state. (Governors also have the power to call "Special" sessions to act on specific important matters.)

[ladidah]

Thanks Hound for the explanation!

In any case, great work Daniel!

[sjangro]

Originally Posted by Daniel M. Clark

4:43 - House Bill 50, the "affiliate tax" bill in New Mexico, has been tabled. i'm going home a little disappointed at the outcome, but tabled is better than passed.

Don't be disappointed. It was awesome that you were there just in case.

And hey, you got to see how our gov't works. Frightening, eh?

[Daniel M. Clark]

Originally Posted by sjangro

Don't be disappointed. It was awesome that you were there just in case.

And hey, you got to see how our gov't works. Frightening, eh?

Thanks, Scott. I spoke with Rebecca Madigan on the phone on the way home, and she really helped put it into perspective for me as well, so, I'm not as disappointed as I was. All in all, it was a positive ending! We're going to keep an eye on it and if they rewrite and re-introduce the bill, I'll be up there again.

But yeah, frightening is definitely the right word. I could never, ever be a politician

The audio bit that I mentioned is live:
http://www.danielmclark.com/affiliat...liate-tax.html

and I'm working on the write-up now.

[Daniel M. Clark]

The recap of my day at the Roundhouse – the state capital building here in New Mexico – has been posted: http://www.danielmclark.com/affiliat...liate-tax.html – according to a tweet by the PMA a little while ago, "NM confirmation from lobbyist; advertising tax didn't pass committee; it won't proceed."

Great news. I'm proud that I could be a part of it.