New Mexico In Depth (https://nmindepth.com/series/people-power-and-democracy/page/5/)
This project is a reporting partnership between New Mexico In Depth, KUNM, NMPBS and the New Mexico News Port that attempts to pull back the curtain on how the New Mexico Legislature works and, in some cases, doesn’t. This project is supported by The Thornburg Foundation. Click here to read NMID’s 2016 Legislative Session Special edition.
| The proposal was delayed Monday, after more than an hour of detailed questioning from state senators concerned that the commission could be used in the service of political warfare.
| The public could have a much clearer picture of money in politics if a bill adding open data features to the state’s electronic campaign finance system is successful.
| The Senate on Monday advanced a bill that would give the Secretary of State’s office the ability to access political candidates’ bank accounts in order to verify the accuracy of their campaign finance reports.
| The state Senate has passed a proposal that would expand program analysis that began with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative.
Business and labor support doesn’t sway lawmakers in efforts to reform infrastructure by taking away their pork-barrel allocations.
The AFL-CIO spent $15,000 on digital advertising against a “right to work” bill, which died in a Senate committee the next day.
To quote the recently departed oracle — Yogi Berra — is it déjà vu all over again?
A proposal that would ask voters to vote up or down an independent ethics commission cleared the House of Representatives on a 50-10 vote Tuesday night.
It now heads to the New Mexico State Senate, known as the cemetery for ethics reform.
| Nearly 90 percent of business leaders think all political spending should be made public, according to a poll of 250 business leaders.
A proposal that would have prevented state lawmakers with government jobs from getting paid while serving in the Legislature was put on hold Monday by the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee. Rep. Bill Rehm, R-Bernalillo, said his goal with the bill (HB 39)was to keep the state government from paying people twice. Many of New Mexico’s part-time civilian legislators have days jobs in local government, and although state lawmakers are unpaid for their service, they do receive mileage reimbursement and a per-diem to cover travel expenses. Rehm said allowing public employees to take a salary while serving in Santa Fe would violate the state constitution. Members of the committee took issue with forcing state employees to take time off of work.
“Find me another bill in this session where the major businesses and the major labor organizations agree on something.”