NM District 38 Rep. Dow Named Guardian of Small Business

Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 24 August 2020 24 August 2020

dow awardFrom left are State Rep. Rebecca Dow, who receives NFIB award from A&B Drive-In owners Anthony Flores, Bernice Flores, Jimmy Chavez Sr. and Barbara Chavez.

Rebecca Dow led fight against health insurance premium tax increases

SANTA FE, N.M., Aug. 24, 2020—The nation's voice of small business on Friday awarded State Rep. Rebecca Dow its highest honor by naming her a Guardian of Small Business for her leadership and voting record during the 2019-2020 session of the New Mexico State Legislature.

Dow was presented her Guardian award at NFIB-member business A&B Drive-In, a family-owned and operated establishment since August 1994. Started by Efren and Bernice Flores, and named for their children Anthony and Barbara, brother Jimmy Chavez Sr. has been with A&B since its establishment. Like so many small businesses they Invest in local nonprofits, schools, and booster clubs. 

"She was one of the most outstanding and outspoken members of the Legislature when it came to small-business issues," said Jason Espinoza, New Mexico state director for NFIB, which named Dow a Guardian of Small Business. Particularly noteworthy, according to Espinoza, was her work in stopping a tax increase on health insurance. "When legislation was introduced that would have resulted in New Mexico businesses paying the highest health care premium insurance taxes in the country, she sponsored a floor amendment to exempt small businesses and gave a passionate floor speech on the issues."

Every elected official claims to be a friend of small business, but NFIB's congressional and state legislative voting records separate the doers from the talkers. For the 2019-2020 session, New Mexico state representatives were graded on their votes on eight issues (five voted on in both chambers, three in the House only). Dow earned a perfect, 100-percent, pro-small-business voting record. A brief description of each bill and every lawmaker's vote on them can be read here.

Dow's 38th State House District includes parts of Grant, Hildago, and Sierra counties. She and her family make their home in Truth or Consequences.

Espinoza praised Dow for a commitment to small business that transcends her work in the Roundhouse. "She's unwavering in her commitment to the economic vitality of small business," he said. "She met with our Leadership Council during Small Business Day, hosted a small business roundtable with us prior to New Mexico's Special Session earlier this year, and has been providing links to COVID-19 small business resources to her constituents to ensure they are aware of the programs and resources available on the federal level."

"During the pandemic, and resulting shutdown of indoor dining, she also worked with restaurants in her rural communities to help pitch tents so that restaurants without indoor-dining would have a chance of surviving with patio dining. Dow is a champion of small business."

Keep up with the latest on New Mexico small-business at www.nfib.com/new-mexico .

###

For more than 77 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America's small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.