Dear All:
The Annual Mean Wage Salary for NM in May, 2023 per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor: $57,520.
The average salary in NM as of March 24, 2024 per ZipRecruiter is $62, 347.
Class A (Largest NM Counties) County Commissioners can receive a maximum annual salary of $39,106 per Section 4-44-4, NMSA 1978.
The annual salaries should be prorated for part-time NM legislative salaries?
Have a great weekend and I'll hope to see you at the Legislative Council Mtg. on Monday @ 9:30 AM, Rm. 307, Roundhouse.
All the best,
Cliff
Clifford M. Rees, JD
Santa Fe, New Mexico
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Also:
Compensation/Part-Time Salary for Legislators requires an amendment to
Article IV, Section 10 of the NM Constitution, which currently allows for per diem and mileage but "no other compensation, perquisite or allowance." Legislators can get a legislative pension because a 1995 NM Supreme Court opinion determined that pensions
are not legally considered "compensation".
Office budget allocations for office space, office equipment, office supplies and salary or contracts for local office staff can be funded by legislative appropriations in, for example, in
HB 2, the General Appropriations Act, enacted every NM Legislative Session.
Here are the recent appropriations to study and implement local legislative offices:
-
SB 1, Section 10.B.(5)(a)- Page 33, lines 8-15 (2022 3rd Special Session)-Fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) each from Reps. Joy Garratt and Angelica Rubio
to the UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research “to conduct and report a survey of legislative personnel on the needs of the legislature and a survey of legislators to identify the activities and time devoted to their legislative duties outside of legislative
sessions and to study the costs and benefits of legislator compensation, modifying the length and scope of legislative sessions and legislative staffing.” (Signed into law on April 8, 2022 as Laws of 2022, 3rd Special Session, Chapter 3).
-
HB 1, Section 4. L., Page 7, lines 13-18 (2023 Regular Session)-Two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) “for expenditure in fiscal years 2023
and 2024 to hire a consulting entity to consider the feasibility of and make recommendations to the New Mexico legislative council on the logistics and resources needed for district staff offices and operations for the legislature . . .” (Signed into law on
January 20, 2023 as Laws of 2023, Chapter 1).
-
HAFC/HB 2 & 3, aa-Page 5, lines 7-12 (2024 Regular Session)- “The general fund appropriation to the legislature includes six million dollars ($6,000,000)
to provide for legislative district staff, including salaries and benefits, information technology equipment and software, furniture, supplies, office space and other necessary support, contingent on approval of the legislative council adopting staffing
patterns, policies, procedures and other guidelines for the staff and adopt administrative support guidelines for legislative council service.” (Signed into law on March 6, 2024 as Laws of 2024, Chapter 69) (Italics added). Question: How will this be budgeted
by line item?
-
HB 283 -Regional Legislative Staff (2024 Regular Session)– Sponsored by Representatives Rod Montoya, James G. Townsend and Randall Pettigrew: Would appropriate
$6 million dollars for nonpartisan administrative assistance and policy support for legislators in Regional Offices. Died on adjournment.
Here are two recommendations I hope the Legislative Council will consider at its next meeting on Monday, May 13, 2024, to help guide the Legislative Modernization process as the process unfolds:
-
Create a Legislative Modernization Subcommittee of the Legislative Council Service;
-
Continue the Legislative Modernization Subcommittee of the Legislative Finance Committee from the 2023 Interim.
See also: U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress (2019-2023)