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Businesses Nervous On Possible New Mexico REAL ID Stalemate

Business leaders in New Mexico say the partisan stalemate in the Legislature over a REAL ID fix have them nervous about the state's economy.

Border Industrial Association president Jerry Pacheco says potential investors may overlook New Mexico if workers can't get REAL ID compliant driver's licenses. Pacheco says he worries the uncertainty may hurt efforts to attract new companies to places like the booming border city of Santa Teresa.

Some military bases say they would no longer accept New Mexico driver's licenses since they have been deemed noncompliant under the REAL ID Act.

A GOP-sponsored proposal that would make New Mexico compliant and give immigrants in the country illegally driver's permits passed a House committee Thursday.

But Democrats and immigrant advocates are pushing a state Senate "two-tier" plan that would allow those immigrants to keep driver's licenses.

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