by Lance Chilton

A fir is a conifer, with evergreen foliage and upright cones. A FIR is a Fiscal Impact Report, a summary of a New Mexico House or Senate bill or memorial or resolution, with an estimate of, what else, its “fiscal impact.” How much will it cost the state government? FIRs are written for every piece of legislation introduced into the legislature, which this year totals 878 pieces of legislation –thus almost 878 FIRs, excepting only those memorials honoring someone or something – this year including “Better Hearing and Speech Month,” the Centennial of the 19th Amendment (that gave women the right to vote, so I hope all of you do in 2020!) and Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Day.

Continue reading here