State of New Mexico
House of Representatives
Ben Lujan, Speaker of the House
Ken Martinez, House Majority Leader
Sheryl Williams Stapleton, House Majority Whip

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release                                                         Contact:  Victoria Chávez 646-241-5335
February 6, 2009                                                                  Susan Tungate 505-577-8132

Rep. Cote Introduces Bill to Recruit Military Retiree Health Care Professionals to Rural NM

Santa Fe, NM – Rep. Nathan Cote (D-Las Cruces) has introduced House Bill 655 – Military Retiree Rural Health Care Tax Credit that would create a health care tax credit for military retirees who provide professional health care services in rural and underserved areas in New Mexico. 

Rep. Cote said, “Getting more health care professionals to rural and underserved areas of New Mexico has been a major focus of mine since I got elected to the State Legislature.  Our initiatives to get more health care providers to these areas have met with some success, but there are still many places that are in need.  Several military health care professionals have second careers after retirement and this bill would attract and draw from that pool of expertise.”

House Bill 655 would provide a tax credit for an eligible military retiree health care practitioner who has provided at least 2,080 hours of service at a practice site located in a rural health care underserved area.  The tax credit would be up to $5,000 for all eligible physicians, osteopathic physicians, dentists, clinical psychologists, podiatrists and optometrists.  The tax credit would be up to $3,000 for all eligible dental hygienists, physician assistants, certified nurse-midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists.