By Rep. John Zimmerman
House District 39

When I was elected to represent House District 39, I pledged to make a difference in New Mexico by promoting economic growth, fixing the law that allows illegal immigrants to get New Mexico driver's licenses, improving education, and supporting our veterans. Since then, I have worked hard on the issues that matter to the residents of my district and kept my promises.

I'm delighted that after years of obstruction, we finally passed a bill to stop giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and bring our state into compliance with the federal REAL ID Act. This bill will protect the ability of New Mexicans to use their licenses as identification for air travel and entry into federal facilities. Illegal immigrants will be able to apply for driving privileges, but the security measures in the bill will help deter fraud and other illegal activity.

I also was proud to back legislation to help businesses in New Mexico grow and thrive. For example, I supported the establishment of a Rapid Response Workforce Development Program within the Department of Workforce Solutions. This program will help the state recruit businesses by providing specialized training to meet their workforce needs. The Legislature provided $1.3 million to fund this program, and I believe it will help create jobs throughout the state.

Regarding education, Rep. Terry McMillan and I wrote a bill to help students take advantage of the new college of osteopathic medicine at New Mexico State University. Our bill establishes a new student loan program that will provide educational assistance for students of the new medical school as long as they agree to practice in a health professional shortage area in New Mexico.

This bill will support the new medical school in its mission to train a new generation of health professionals to meet the demand for more healthcare providers in our state. It was strongly endorsed by the Legislature, and I look forward to seeing it established in law soon.

I have continued my steadfast support of those who defend our freedoms. I authored a bill to establish new service awards for the New Mexico National Guard and State Defense Force. The awards this bill created include a Cold War Medal, Outstanding Enlisted Leader of the Year Ribbon, Counter Drug Service Ribbon, Community Service Ribbon, and Physical Fitness Ribbon. These awards are crucial for honoring the excellent performance and service contributions of our women and men in uniform, and I'm happy Gov. Martinez recently signed this legislation into law.

Finally, I am committed to promoting government that is open, accessible and transparent to the public. In partnership with Rep. Rick Little, I sponsored a proposal to amend the state constitution to create a state ethics commission. This commission would have been able to receive and investigate complaints, give guidance on ethical standards, and recommend improvements to existing rules and regulations.

Our bill was one of many proposals designed to encourage transparency and ethical conduct in state government. Although many bills, including ours, did not make it to the governor's desk, we learned a lot from the overall discussion of the issue, and I'm confident we'll revisit it again in the future.

I have dedicated my life to public service, first in the Navy, then in the Naval Reserve and as a missile and rocket testing engineer at White Sands Missile Range. I appreciate being able to continue serving the people of New Mexico as a representative in the Legislature. I welcome your thoughts on finding ways to enhance the qualities that make New Mexico a great place to live.