0001|                           SENATE BILL 292
    |
0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
    |
0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
    |
0004|                         TIMOTHY Z. JENNINGS
    |
0005|     
    |
0006|                                   
    |
0007|                                   
    |
0008|                                   
    |
0009|     
    |
0010|                                AN ACT
    |
0011|     RELATING TO FINANCING OF HIGHWAY PROJECTS; INCREASING THE
    |
0012|     BONDING AUTHORITY OF THE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION AND
    |
0013|     AUTHORIZING CERTAIN HIGHWAY PROJECTS CONTINGENT UPON THE
    |
0014|     RECEIPT OF CERTAIN FEDERAL HIGHWAY FUNDS; AUTHORIZING THE
    |
0015|     PLEDGING OF TAXES, FEES AND FEDERAL FUNDS IN THE STATE ROAD
    |
0016|     FUND TO THE PAYMENT OF BONDS; AMENDING A SECTION OF THE NMSA
    |
0017|     1978.
    |
0018|     
    |
0019|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
    |
0020|               Section 1.  Section 67-3-59.1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws
    |
0021|     1989, Chapter 157, Section 1, as amended) is amended to read:
    |
0022|          "67-3-59.1.  STATE HIGHWAY DEBENTURES--ISSUANCE--LIMITS--
    |
0023|     APPROVAL--COUPONS.--
    |
0024|               A.  In order to provide funds to finance state
    |
0025|     highway projects, including state highway projects that are
    |
                                        - 1 -

0001|     required for the waste isolation pilot project and are
    |
0002|     eligible for federal reimbursement |or payment| as authorized
    |
0003|     by federal legislation, the state highway commission is
    |
0004|     authorized to issue bonds from time to time, payable from
    |
0005|     |federal funds not otherwise obligated that are paid into the
    |
0006|     state road fund|, the proceeds of the collection of ~[gasoline
    |
0007|     excise]~ taxes and ~[motor vehicle registration]~ fees that
    |
0008|     are required by law to be paid into the state road fund and
    |
0009|     not otherwise pledged solely to the payment of outstanding
    |
0010|     bonds and debentures.
    |
0011|               B.  The total aggregate outstanding principal
    |
0012|     amount of bonds issued from time to time pursuant to this
    |
0013|     section, secured by or payable from ~[the gasoline excise
    |
0014|     taxes and motor vehicle registration fees]~ |federal funds not
    |
0015|     otherwise obligated that are paid into the state road fund and
    |
0016|     the proceeds from the collection of taxes and fees required by
    |
0017|     law to be paid into the state road fund| shall not, without
    |
0018|     additional authorization of the state legislature, exceed
    |
0019|     ~[one hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000)]~ at any
    |
0020|     given time, subject to the ~[following]~ provisions |of
    |
0021|     Subsection C of this section, the following amounts:|
    |
0022|                    |(1)  prior to July 1, 1998, one hundred fifty
    |
0023|     million dollars ($150,000,000);
    |
0024|                    (2)  from July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999,
    |
0025|     five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000); and|
    |
                                        - 2 -

0001|                    |(3)  after June 30, 1999, one billion dollars
    |
0002|     ($1,000,000,000)|.
    |
0003|               |C.  The total aggregate outstanding principal
    |
0004|     amount of bonds authorized pursuant to Subsection B of this
    |
0005|     section shall be subject to the following provisions|:
    |
0006|                    (1)  the total aggregate outstanding principal
    |
0007|     amount of bonds issued for state highway projects that are
    |
0008|     required for the waste isolation pilot project and are
    |
0009|     eligible for federal reimbursement |or payment| as authorized
    |
0010|     by federal legislation shall not exceed one hundred million
    |
0011|     dollars ($100,000,000); ~[and]~
    |
0012|                    (2)  the total aggregate outstanding principal
    |
0013|     amount of bonds issued for state highway projects other than
    |
0014|     state highway projects that are required for the waste
    |
0015|     isolation pilot project and are eligible for federal
    |
0016|     reimbursement |or payment| as authorized by federal
    |
0017|     legislation shall not exceed:
    |
0018|                         |(a)  prior to July 1, 1998|, fifty
    |
0019|     million dollars ($50,000,000);
    |
0020|                         |(b)  from July 1, 1998 through June 30,
    |
0021|     1999, four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000); and|
    |
0022|                    |    (c)  after June 30, 1999, nine hundred 
    |
0023|     million dollars ($900,000,000); and|
    |
0024|                    |(3)  the proceeds from the sale of the bonds
    |
0025|     after June 30, 1998 using the additional authority added in
    |
                                        - 3 -

0001|     Subparagraph (b) of Paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be
    |
0002|     used for planning, designing, engineering and constructing and
    |
0003|     for acquiring rights of way for the following projects,
    |
0004|     contingent upon New Mexico receiving additional obligation
    |
0005|     authority from the federal highway trust fund pursuant to
    |
0006|     federal authorization to obligate the four and three-tenths
    |
0007|     cents ($.043) per gallon federal excise tax on gasoline for
    |
0008|     highway infrastructure:|
    |
0009|                    |    (a)  four-lane construction of United
    |
0010|     States highway 70 from Alamogordo to Texico;
    |
0011|                         (b)  four-lane construction of United
    |
0012|     States highway 54 from the Texas state line north to

    |
0013|     Alamogordo;
    |
0014|                         (c)  construction of the Silver City
    |
0015|     relief route;|
    |
0016|                         |(d)  construction of the Alamogordo
    |
0017|     relief route;|
    |
0018|                         |(e)  four-lane construction of United
    |
0019|     States highway 285 from interstate 25 to Carlsbad;|
    |
0020|                         |(f)  construction of a new east-west
    |
0021|     connecting route from state road 47 to interstate 25 south of
    |
0022|     Los Lunas;|
    |
0023|                         |(g)  improvements to United States
    |
0024|     highway 666; and|
    |
0025|                         |(h)  construction of the Rio Bravo west
    |
                                        - 4 -

0001|     extension and an interchange at the Paseo del Volcan and
    |
0002|     interstate 40 in Bernalillo county.|
    |
0003|               ~[C.]~ |D.|  The state highway commission may issue
    |
0004|     bonds to refund other bonds issued pursuant to this section by
    |
0005|     exchange or current or advance refunding.
    |
0006|               ~[D.]~ |E.|  Each series of bonds shall have a
    |
0007|     maturity of no more than twenty-five years from the date of
    |
0008|     issuance. ||The state highway commission shall determine all
    |
0009|     other terms, covenants and conditions of the bonds; provided
    |
0010|     that the bonds shall not be issued pursuant to this section
    |
0011|     unless the state board of finance approves the issuance of the
    |
0012|     bonds and the principal amount of and interest rate or maximum
    |
0013|     net effective interest rate on the bonds.
    |
0014|               ~[E.]~ |F.|  The bonds shall be executed with the
    |
0015|     manual or facsimile ~[signatures]~ |signature| of the chairman
    |
0016|     of the state highway commission, countersigned by the state
    |
0017|     treasurer and attested to by the secretary of the state
    |
0018|     highway commission, with the seal of the state highway
    |
0019|     commission imprinted or otherwise affixed to the bonds.
    |
0020|               ~[F.]~ |G.|  Proceeds of the bonds may be used to
    |
0021|     pay expenses incurred in the preparation, issuance and sale of
    |
0022|     the bonds and, together with the earnings on the proceeds of
    |
0023|     the bonds, may be used to pay rebate, penalty, interest and
    |
0024|     other obligations relating to the bonds and the proceeds of
    |
0025|     the bonds under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
    |
                                        - 5 -

0001|               ~[G.]~ |H.|  The bonds may be sold at public or
    |
0002|     private sale||.  If sold at public sale, a notice of the time
    |
0003|     and place of sale shall be published in a newspaper of general
    |
0004|     circulation in the state, and in any other newspaper

    |
0005|     determined in the resolution authorizing the issuance of the
    |
0006|     bonds, once each week for two consecutive weeks prior to the
    |
0007|     date of sale.  The bonds may be purchased by the state
    |
0008|     treasurer or state investment officer.
    |
0009|               ~[H.]~ |I.|  This section is full authority for the
    |
0010|     issuance and sale of the bonds, and the bonds shall not be
    |
0011|     invalid for any irregularity or defect in the proceedings for
    |
0012|     their issuance and sale and shall be incontestable in the
    |
0013|     hands of bona fide purchasers or holders of the bond for
    |
0014|     value.
    |
0015|               ~[I.]~ |J.|  The bonds shall be legal investments
    |
0016|     for any person or board charged with the investment of public
    |
0017|     funds and may be accepted as security for any deposit of
    |
0018|     public money and, with the interest thereon, are exempt from
    |
0019|     taxation by the state and any political subdivision or agency
    |
0020|     of the state.
    |
0021|               |K.  Any law authorizing the imposition or
    |
0022|     distribution of taxes or fees paid into the state road fund or
    |
0023|     that affects those taxes and fees shall not be amended or
    |
0024|     repealed or otherwise directly or indirectly modified so as to
    |
0025|     impair any outstanding bonds secured by a pledge of revenues
    |
                                        - 6 -

0001|     from those taxes and fees paid into the state road fund,
    |
0002|     unless the bonds have been discharged in full or provisions
    |
0003|     have been made for a full discharge.  In addition, while any
    |
0004|     bonds issued by the state highway commission pursuant to the
    |
0005|     provisions of this section remain outstanding, the powers or
    |
0006|     duties of the commission shall not be diminished or impaired
    |
0007|     in any manner that will affect adversely the interests and
    |
0008|     rights of the holder of such bonds.|
    |
0009|               |L.  Bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be
    |
0010|     paid solely from federal funds not otherwise obligated, taxes
    |
0011|     and fees and county and municipal contributions deposited into
    |
0012|     the state road fund and shall not constitute a general
    |
0013|     obligation of the state.|"
    |
0014|                              
    |