NMUCA

NEWS

January 2025

Upcoming Dates

January


8th - Safety Committee 8am

9th - Planning Committee 9am

16th - Board and Planning

21st - Legislative Session Begins


February

6th Construction Safety Coalition

20th Meet the Generals

From the Executive Director's Desk



Hello Members,


Happy New Year to All!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are all ready to get back to work and make 2025 another great year!


Thanks to everyone who made 2024 a very successful year for NMUCA! The goal for 2025 is to be steadfast with our foundation work, and always do better! See the summary in Top 10 For 2024 below.


Don't forget to pay your dues for 2025. Invoices were mailed in mid-December, but I can send another invoice if you need one.


I am hoping to see you soon!


Jane Jernigan

Your 2025 NMUCA Board of Directors & Staff

Contact Us - Staff and Board of Directors


President, Dale Armstrong, TLC Plumbing & Utility 505 761 9696


Vice-President, Damon Wicketts, 4Rivers Equipment 505 884 2900


Secretary/Treasurer, Jenice Gallegos, Groundwater Partners


Past President, Clay Blair, SpearD 505 761 9696


Troy Otero, Groundhog Construction Services 505 243 2133


Director Darrin Howells, AUI Inc. 505 242 4848


Director Joe Menicucci, Downey & Company 881 0300


Director Reinee Peacher, DuCross Construction 575 636 3023


Director Kelley Fetter, E2RC 505 867 4040 


Director John Theiler, DH Underground


Terri Baker, Core and Main 505 344 0223


Russ Collins, RMCI Ind. 505 345 0008


Sam Stribling, 814 Solutions 505 872 0846


Executive Director, Jane Jernigan 505 888 0752



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Jane Jernigan, Executive Director

New Mexico Utility Contractors Association 

505 888 0752 Phone

505 362 8950 Cell 

nmuca@nmuca.org Email

Jane.NMUCA@Gmail.com 

WWW. NMUCA.ORG 


Thank You 2025 Platinum Investment Sponsor

Upcoming in your mailbox..............
  • Don't forget to renew for 2025
  • Legislative alerts and notifications

2024 Was a Good Year!

Welcome to 2025

Fourth Annual Meet The Generals

Click Here to Register Online

February 20th, 2025


Work the Session Like a Pro

The 2025 New Mexico 60 Day Legislative Session starts at noon on - January 21st. I am your lobbyist and will represent NMUCA during this session. 


Support or opposition is determined by the board of NMUCA. Lobbying for or against legislation is measured first and foremost with our mission. 


Below are instructions for - 5 Easy Steps to Stay Informed and Get Involved - that contains both general and specific information about the NM Legislative Session, and how you can attend virtual meetings, communicate with legislators, and make your voice heard while our legislators make decisions about NM’s future. 




2024 NM Legislative Session

5 Easy Steps to Keep Informed & Involved 


January 2, 2024 - January 12 Legislation may be pre-filed

January 16 Opening day (noon)

January 31 Deadline for introduction

February 15 Session ends (noon)

March 6 Legislation not acted upon by governor is pocket vetoed

May 15 Effective date of legislation not a general appropriation bill or a bill carrying an emergency clause or other specified date

 

Step One – Know your legislator!

Although you can contact every legislator or those serving on a particular committee, you have much more weight as a direct constituent.


Click Here to Find Your Legislator  


Step Two – Get familiar with the committees & who serves on them.


 Click Here and then Click on “Committees” Committee make up is determined the first week of the session.


Step Three – Find Legislation 


Click Here to search for legislation by list, number, sponsor or keyword.


To keep track of legislation, set-up your own Bill Finder using MyRoundhouse - https://www.nmlegis.gov/MyRoundhouse/ Once you have it set-up simply click the “PLUS” button to add a locator; you can then add legislation to that locator. It will keep track of the legislation and let you know when there is movement on the bill. You can set up more than one locator if you want to keep track of bills by category. I have a NMUCA one and a personal one for example. 


Step Four – How to Read a Bill, see changes, & track Votes

We will use HM 3 for an example. Once you have clicked on a specific bill, you will see the following information displayed:

·        ID

·        Title

·        Sponsor (s)

·        Current Location

·        Text in HTML and Text in PDF

·        Sponsors

·        Votes

·        Analysis

·        Committee Reports & Amendments

·        Floor Amendment

·        Actions

·        Governor’s Vetoes


Analysis is your best friend here. Every bill introduced will undergo a “Fiscal Impact Report” often called an FIR. It will show the financial impact for the state, but it will also have a summary of the bill and include merits or issues with the bill found during review by the Legislative Council Services and other State Agencies that it may affect if passed into law.  


Step Five – Participate


Webcasts are available for most committee meetings as well as House and Senate Chamber Meetings. Some Committees will allow interactive communication, but it will be extremely limited. A word of warning – the audio and visual capabilities at the NM State Capitol are quite old and very inefficient; expect a rough experience while trying to participate via online services. 

You can also watch proceedings two ways by using 


Webcast Click Here to visit


NMUCA will send out Legislative Alerts during the session. These can be for information purposes only or they may be a Call to Action. If there is a Call to Action, you will either receive a link where you can quickly fill out a pre-filled form to contact legislators, or you will be asked to call and email. I will make this as easy as possible for everyone. I will also send out weekly reports and share the NMUCA bill tracker. 



I welcome your input during the session. If you see a bill that I should be aware of, please let me know. 


Remember, the most effective way to have influence on the decisions of our legislators is to educate them on our industry and to inform them how their decisions on legislation can affect our industry and our businesses. It's also very important that legislators are aware that we are paying attention to what they are doing and the decisions they are making.  


Safety Focus -

Winter Driving


Winter Weather Driving Safety Talk


The roads are a dangerous place on even the nicest day, but in the winter, the dangers of driving can increase dramatically. According to the Department of Transportation, winter weather conditions are responsible for over 192,000 injuries and 2,200 deaths each year. Outside injury and loss of life, winter weather conditions are responsible for millions of dollars in property damage incidents.


Winter Weather Overview


The majority of the United States and its population are located in an area that receives snow or ice during the winter months. While most of the population has experienced driving in snowy or icy conditions, many individuals do not know how to drive safely in winter weather conditions. The hazards created by winter weather make it hard for even the most experienced drivers to operate a vehicle safely.


Tips for Avoiding a Winter Weather-Related Accident

  • Monitor weather for any incoming snow storms or icy conditions and plan your travel around those conditions. Do not put yourself in a situation where you are stuck on a roadside.
  • Do not drive in wintery conditions if possible. Eliminating driving eliminates your chances of being in an accident.
  • Be a defensive driver. Stay clear of other drivers and maintain a safe distance in case you need to brake or turn to avoid an accident.
  • Slow down. Winter weather conditions necessitate having to reduce your speed. Reducing your speed will give you more time to react as well as help to avoid losing control of your vehicle.


Summary

The best way to avoid an accident during the winter months is to avoid driving in dangerous conditions. If you absolutely have to drive in bad weather conditions, travel main roads that have already been plowed and salted. Notify your supervisor if necessary to alert him or her you will be late for work due to road conditions. Take your time getting to your destination.


Discussion point:

-Has anyone experienced a car accident due to winter weather conditions?


 

Information Provided by SafetyTalkIdeas.com  


Did You Know?


OSHA's construction infrastructure webpage provides resource for employers, workers and others involved in the job of improving and building our nation’s infrastructure. It includes information about common construction hazards and how to better identify and control them using safety and health programs.


¿Sabías?


La página web de OSHA sobre la construcción de infraestructuras proporciona recursos para empleadores, trabajadores y otras personas implicadas en el trabajo de mejora y construcción de las infraestructuras de nuestra nación. Incluye información sobre peligros habituales en la construcción y sobre cómo identificarlos y controlarlos mejor mediante programas de seguridad y salud.


2025 Meeting Schedule

January 2025

8th Safety Committee

9th Planning Committee

21st Legislative Session Begins

Santa Fe Summit – Date TBD

16th Board Meeting and Planning

 

February 2025

6th Construction Safety Coalition – NM Construction Fatality Report & Lessons Learned

13th Planning

Board Meeting – Las Cruces

20th Meet the Generals joint meeting with ABC, ASA, & AGC

 

March 2025

12th Safety Committee

13th Planning Committee

20th Board Meeting

27th Legislative Wrap-up Lunch

 

April 2025

9th Safety Committee

10th Planning Committee

17th Membership Meeting

17th Board Meeting

25th Tinnin Clay shoot

 

May 2025

1st Construction Safety Coalition

8th Planning

15th Board Meeting

15th Social

Lunch and Learn

 

June 2025

11th Safety Committee

12th Planning

19th Board Meeting

19th Membership Meeting

Isotopes Game (14th)

 

August 2025

13th Safety “Committee

14th Planning

11th 811 Day

21st Board Meeting

21st Membership Meeting

Lunch and Learn

 

September 2025

4th Construction Safety Coalition

5th Last Ditch Open Golf Tournament

11th Planning

18th Board Meeting

18th Social

 

October 2025

8th Safety Committee

9th Planning

16th Board Meeting

16th Las Cruces

21, 22, 23 NM Regional Common Ground Alliance

Lunch and Learn

 

November 2025

7th End of Year Social

12th Safety Committee Breakfast

13th Planning Committee Lunch

20th Board Meeting

 

EVENTS

Meet the Generals

Membership Meetings

Safety Award Luncheon

Tinnin Clay Shoot

NMUCA Night at Isotopes

Last Ditch Open

End of Year Social

Get Social With NMUCA!