By Dianne Stallings
Ruidoso News
RUIDOSO, NM — Officials with the New Mexico Emergency Medical Services Regional Offices alerted EMS employees across the state about proposed legislation to offset expected budget cuts and to increase the tax on various forms of alcohol.
If enacted, the total Liquor Excise Tax per year could generate $57 million.
Bills will be introduced in the legislative session that begins Jan. 20 in Santa Fe, that could greatly benefit EMS services and providers, they noted. If EMS and trauma funding is “greatly reduced” next year as forecast, leadership in the state Depart-ment of Health warned to expect corresponding significant budget cuts. The cuts would come as a result of an expected legislative revenue short-fall.
“We have been told repeatedly that EMS needs its own dedicated funding source,” officials wrote to their peers. “We can not wait for the ax to fall on the EMS and Trauma funding programs. We need dedicated, secure funding for both of these important programs. To this end, we have proposed legislation that would protect existing funds and provide desperately needed additional funds.”
To promote the legislation, the regional group is playing host at two events. The first will occur at 10 a.m., Feb. 4, at the Santa Fe Marriott Courtyard, 3347 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe. Emergency medical workers and volunteers are invited to the meeting to discuss legislation that will help the EMS community and to learn more about related legislation and how to advocate for passage.
The second event, EMS Legislative Day, is set for Feb. 5 at the Capital Building, to give EMR representatives a chance to talk with legislators and let them know about the brewing crisis.
Legislation being proposed is titled The EMS Rescue Act, which would increase the Liquor Excise Tax to insure the delivery of EMS, Trauma, Stroke and Cardiovascular Emergency Services to all New Mexicans. The EMS Fund Act would jump by $8 million for system improvements, increasing it to $11,875,000.
The bill would increase the amount of funding for innovative special projects that will benefit all EMS services and partners, for volunteers and will increase the amount of funding for regional support that will be based on the number of people that need EMS services and the number of services and institutions relying on an effective EMS regional system.
The Act also would:
Add about $4.6 million to the Trauma System Fund, increasing it to $10 million, to elevate the amount of financial assistance to existing Trauma Centers that must depend on the Trauma System Fund to maintain or increase the level of trauma services needed by their communities. The Act would increase the amount of financial assistance to aspiring trauma centers to provide trauma care services in communities that need such services. Lastly, there would be added to the Trauma System Fund an additional funding category to increase the regional and state-wide availability of critically needed trauma surgical and medical specialties such as neurosurgeons.
Establish a Stroke and Cardiovascular System Fund of $2.7 million similar to the existing Trauma System Fund and to provide funding for this new program to establish a system for the effective treatment of stroke and cardiac victims. The fund would also assist EMS services to acquire the equipment and training needed to treat stroke and heart attack victims.
For beer, the increase would result in the tax going up from 4 cents to 6 cents per can.
“If one indulges and drinks a six-pack, this intoxicated person would pay an additional 12 cents to assure that EMS and trauma professionals will be there when he or she needed them,” they said.
The projected annual additional revenue is estimated at $11.9 million.
Spirituous liquors would see an increase from $1.60 to $1.84 per liter, a 15 percent jump in the excise tax on liquors. Advocates said although liquor is abused, it is less likely to be as abused as beer.
The projected annual additional revenue is $2.4 million.
The tax on wine would go up from 45 cents to 52 cents per liter, an increase of about 15 percent and addition revenue of $985,000 is projected.
Fortified wine tax would go up from $1.50 to $1.73, a 23 percent increase per liter, or about 15 percent for expected annual additional revenue of $15,000.
The total projected annual additional revenue is $15.3 million and the projected overall increase in liquor excise taxes would be 36.41 percent.
The existing liquor excise tax was originally passed in 1984 and the last change to the legislation occurred in 2000.