Committee keeps reporting language for public-safety radio trunking bill but strips appropriation

The House Appropriations and Finance Committee on Monday amended House Bill 192 to remove an appropriation while keeping the bill's language that requires reporting on the state's public‑safety radio trunking system.

Representative Hernandez presented the measure and an amendment (No. 231700.1) that “remove[s] the appropriation from the bill and keep[s] the rest of the language intact,” the representative said. The committee adopted the amendment on a voice vote after Representative Dow moved and Vice Chair Dixon seconded it; the chair said, “Any opposition to that motion? Seeing none, we've adopted the amendment.”

The bill and testimony focused on interoperability between emergency agencies and the state-managed trunking network run by the Department of Information Technology (DoIT). A witness identified in testimony as Chief Masterson of Sanibel County Fire described the recent practical benefit: “This interoperability will not just help on the fire side, but the law enforcement side to active threat situations, security concerns, etcetera.”

Former Sandoval County deputy county manager John Garcia told the committee the existing fee structure is a burden in some rural communities and urged state support: “DoIT charges fees, subscriber fees, dollars 20 per radio. And right now, rural communities…struggle to make that $20.” Catherine Crociotta, a registered lobbyist for New Mexico Counties, said the radio network was critical during recent fires. Manny Barretas, identified as cabinet secretary for New Mexico DoIT, told the panel, “We definitely support this bill 100%,” and said about 60 agencies were already on the system with “over 10,000 users.”

Witness Jared Zuniga, deputy chief for Eddy County Fire Rescue, cautioned that if subsidies end an individual county “could incur $20,000 a month in user fees” under the current $20-per-radio subscriber charge. In committee discussion members repeatedly asked about costs for small departments and about mechanisms to make radios and trunking available to volunteer and rural departments; the witnesses described a mix of capital appropriations, grants, and patching legacy equipment into the trunked system as short‑term solutions.

The adopted amendment strips the bill’s appropriation but preserves reporting and other substantive sections; Representative Dow moved adoption and Vice Chair Dixon seconded. The committee then opened for public comment and heard support from local officials and DoIT staff. The chair indicated existing budget actions and special appropriations have covered some of the fees in prior years and that the corrected bill aims to provide better reporting to LFC so budgeting can be more accurate in future sessions.