New Mexico - Green Jobs Bill passes!

UPDATE: March 24th, 2:45 pm Pacific:  HB622, which will help community colleges create green jobs curriculums throughout the state, passed in the final minutes of the 2009 session.

This makes 2 green jobs bills (HB622 and SB318) that made it through the New Mexico legislature.  Read our earlier post on both of these bills.

On Wednesday, March 18th, the New Mexico state Legislature passed the Green Jobs Bill (Senate
 Bill
 318, 
Development
 Funds 
for
 Green
 Jobs)!  Senator 
Eric 
Griego 
and
 Speaker 
Ben
 Lujan co-sponsored the bill, which Green For All and our friends New Mexico Youth Organized worked to craft and pass.

If signed by Governor Richardson, this bill will encourage small environmentally-friendly businesses to relocate to New Mexico by giving them incentives through the Job Training Investment Fund.  The Job Training Investment Fund would reimburse these businesses for the cost of training local workers.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE.

“By
 investing
 in 
green 
jobs 
we 
can 
provide 
clean 
energy 
for 
New 
Mexico 
and 
at 
the 
same 
time 
create
 thousands 
of 
jobs.  

These 
jobs 
will 
help 
working 
families 
that 
are 
struggling 
during 
tough 
financial
 times.”

–Senator 
Eric 
Griego


“Senator
 Griego’s 
bill 
will 
attract 
green 
businesses 
to 
the 
state 
and 
encourage 
them 
to 
hire 
local 
residents
 for 
well-paid, 
dignified
 jobs.  

This 
simultaneously 
helps 
the 
environment, 
increases 
th e
employment 
rate,
 and 
improves 
the 
economy.
  
Ultimately, 
this 
is 
good 
for 
people 
and 
the 
planet.”


‐
Vien 
Truong, 
Senior
 Policy 
Associate 
Green
 For 
All

SB 318 Is the first in a series of Green Jobs Bills to 
build 
the 
infrastructure 
necessary
 to 
meet 
federal 
requirements 
for 
the
 2009 
Stimulus 
package.  

By 
passing 
this 
bill, 
members 
of 
the 
New 
Mexico
 Legislature 
have
 taken 
an important 
step 
to 
help 
bring 
federal 
dollars 
to 
the
 state
 and 
develop 
a 
sustainable 
workforce.