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Committee approves amended bill to raise 9-1-1 surcharge to $1 and expands NextGen funding
Summary
The committee approved an amended bill raising the state 9-1-1 surcharge to $1 per line to fund NextGen 9-1-1 upgrades and to expand eligible uses for 9-1-1 funds; the amendment reduced the sponsor's original $1.50 proposal.
The Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee advanced Senate Bill 137 as amended to increase the statewide 9-1-1 surcharge from 50 cents to $1 per line and expand allowable uses and reimbursement categories to support NextGen 9-1-1 upgrades.
Sponsor Sen. Padilla introduced the measure and offered an amendment (230771.1) that struck a higher $1.50 surcharge and replaced it with $1.00 per line. "We don't even quite reach the dollar 29 [inflation-adjusted level], which inflation tells us it should be," Padilla said, but added that $1.00 is sufficient, per 9-1-1 advocates, to support modernization needs.
Nicole Brown, vice chair of the 9-1-1 affiliate and San Juan County 9-1-1, described current limits to locating cell phones and the need for real-time location information: "If you call 911, there's a lot of things that have to happen in order for us to have your location of your cell phone...If we upgrade the system, we will get that data." Steven Weinkauf, 9-1 bureau chief at the Department of Finance and Administration, said New Mexico's scope for eligible uses is narrow compared with FCC guidance and that a surcharge increase would help create sustainable funding and close gaps across urban, rural and tribal PSAPs.
Supporters including the New Mexico Counties, metro and rural fire chiefs, telecommunications providers, AFSCME representing telecommunicators and multiple county dispatch centers spoke in favor. The committee voted to advance SB137 as amended; the roll call recorded a 9–0 do-pass recommendation. One committee member cautioned that certain statutory findings in the bill could draw judicial or floor amendments later; the sponsor agreed to review the language.
The bill would expand allowable uses and create more consistent revenue for upgrades including GIS mapping, redundancy/resilience and interoperability work tied to NextGen 9-1-1.
