New Mexico needs a modernized
Legislature
Kathy Brook and Eileen VanWie
Co-Presidents, League of Women Voters of Southern New
Mexico
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As the 2023 session of the New Mexico
legislature begins, actions to “modernize” the state’s law-making body will
likely be considered. Discussions about modernization occur in the
context of a state whose population has grown by a factor of more than six
since statehood, giving individual members of the House and Senate
constituencies of 30,000 and 50,000 respectively. Additionally, New
Mexico remains geographically large and demographically diverse. The Legislature
needs to address complex challenges, including poverty, economic
diversification, disposal of nuclear waste, and limited access to health care
and internet services. The League of Women Voters and other civic
organizations support lengthening the sessions, hiring permanent year-round
staff, and creating salaries for members.
Currently New Mexico’s sessions are among the three
shortest in the country (alternating between 60 days in odd-numbered years and
30 days in even-numbered years). The scope of the short session is
limited to the budget and topics specified by the governor. Proposed
changes involve expanding, at least the short session, to allow more time for
bills to be studied and debated with consideration of a greater range of
topics. Hopefully a longer session would also discourage delaying tactics
of “running out the clock,” leaving bills to die at the end of the
session.
Now the legislature’s work is supported by a permanent
staff of about 168 (about 1.5 per legislator) and most legislators do not have
dedicated staff. Having access to more staff throughout the year would
assist legislators in researching and analyzing bills. Staff can also aid in
providing improved oversight of executive agencies. Having more staff would
also decrease legislators’ reliance on paid lobbyists for information on bills
and would better serve constituents.
A third area of modernization involves paying
legislative salaries, as is done in the other 49 states. New Mexico
legislators do receive mileage and per diem payments to attend sessions and
interim committee meetings, but lack of salary seriously limits the ability of
a large part of the population to serve in the Roundhouse. Those
financially most able to serve are retired (with various kinds of pensions),
independently wealthy, or self-employed in businesses that can be more easily
combined with legislative work. Younger people, essential workers, those
with young children, and those with full-time jobs find service in the
legislature to be far more difficult. If there is a decision to pay
salaries, the level of salary can be set in a variety of ways, including by an
independent body. Representative Angelica Rubio and others plan to
introduce a bill creating a legislative salary commission.
If the legislature approves changes in the length of
sessions and legislative compensation, those issues will be put before the
voters as Constitutional amendments. Increased staffing may be approved
by the legislature. A modernized legislature would enhance the capacity
of the legislators to perform their role in the policy-making process.
The League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico encourages you to contact
your legislators to support bills that improve fairness to legislators and the
functioning of the legislative body.