Throughout her career in the New Mexico House of Representatives, Representative Cathrynn Brown has been a principled, earnest, and reasoned voice in the legislature, extending her reach beyond partisan politics while holding firm to her principles. Rep. Brown has sponsored north of 200 bills, sponsored annual capital outlay requests, and worked tirelessly to send millions of dollars back to her district.
Last year, Rep. Brown’s HB-319 passed both chambers of the legislature and was signed by Governor Martinez, granting the Carlsbad Brine Well Remediation Authority the right to negotiate and execute contracts related to the project and make clear how the state appropriations would be spent, and by what contractors.
Legislative Record
This year, Rep. Brown has proposed three genius pieces of legislation. The first is HB-188, which would increase the amount of revenue from the Vehicle Excise Tax coming into the State Road Fund, ultimately phasing in the distribution of all of the tax’s revenue to the road fund. Second, HB-198 would make a one-time $860 million appropriation to the State Road Fund from the General Fund, for spending during the fiscal year 2020, and any subsequent fiscal years.
The last bill, HB-201 is the real stroke of genius, where taxpayers would have the option to designate their personal income tax contributions to county road funds and create a credit for income and corporate income tax for such donations.
These three very economically responsible pieces of legislation bring solutions to our state’s crumbling infrastructure, as well as give citizens the option to actively contribute to fixing the problem with tax deductions. Rep. Brown’s Legislation is a sure-fire way to improve transportation in and out of the state and bring lasting solutions to our infrastructure problems.
Rep. Cathrynn Brown has been lauded by her peers with awards, such as the ‘Spirit of Bipartisanship’ award by New Mexico First and the ‘Top Legislator’ award by the Rio Grande Foundation to name a few. She has also worked on the ground as Chairwoman of the Eddy County Republican Party, and a board member of Carlsbad Right to Life. Rep. Brown has one of the highest American Conservative Union ratings among her colleagues, with 73% in 2018, and 88% in 2017, with a lifetime average of 77%.
I had the privilege of being a staffer in the House Judiciary Committee for the 2016 legislature, where I had the opportunity to see Representative Brown in action. When I had the opportunity to serve with her, it was clear she had two things in mind: 1) fighting tooth-and-nail for her constituents; 2) asking the tough questions and looking carefully at the legislation presented before voting on anything.
Each and every question Rep. Brown asked to witnesses and bill sponsors were well-thought-out, meant to bring forth substantive new information, and ensure that the consequences of each piece of legislation were well-contemplated before moving forward on legislation. Working alongside her and the other members of the Committee, she displayed true kindness to the staff, and always had a good attitude towards legislating.
I am proud to support Representative Cathrynn Brown as she works for rural New Mexicans in her efforts to improve infrastructure, champion the oil & gas industry, and work alongside her Democrat colleagues in a bipartisan way while embracing her conservative principles. I look forward to Rep. Brown’s success this session and thank her for her life-long commitment to the people of this beautiful state.