Spaceport America, Tax Reform, Medicaid, and Single-party Recording

This week on New Mexico in Focus, an in-depth conversation about the future of Spaceport America. The New Mexico Senate has approved a liability-limiting measure for companies further down the supply chain for space tourism. If the House follows suit, Virgin Galactic may soon start operations in earnest at the Southern New Mexico facility. But what’s in store for the spaceport beyond tourism? NMiF speaks with two men who are looking past a joyride through space.

The Line gets down and dirty with tax reform. Is New Mexico focusing its costly tax incentives on the right businesses? What needs to change? The opinion panel also looks at a recent news report that says seven in ten New Mexico births are paid for by Medicaid. Is the level sustainable? How does it rate relative to other states? And the group measures the need for single-party recording. Long a staple of the way news is gathered, could a change to the law draw the curtains of government even more tightly shut?

Host: Gene Grant

Correspondent: Matt Grubs

Guests:
M. Brian Barnett, CEO, Satwest
Bill McMillan, Co-Founder, New Mexico Aviation Association

Line Guest: Gwyneth Doland, Executive Director, NM Foundation for Open Government

Line Panelists:
Dan Foley, Former New Mexico House Republican Whip
Sophie Martin, Editor in Chief, New Mexico Law Review
Rob Nikolewski, Editor, Capitol Report New Mexico

The Producer of NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS is Matt Grubs. Associate Producer is Kathy Wimmer. Funding for this program was provided in part by the McCune Foundation. Subscribe to the New Mexico in Focus Podcast on iTunes.

Episode 631 for air February 1, 2013