[LWVNM Action] Does the NM Legislature work efficiently and effectively???? Friday Action Zoom at 4 pm

[Akkana Peck]

I fully agree about longer sessions and paid legislators and staff.

BUT --

My husband has been getting the blow-by while we worked on pushing
the GIS bill. His comment: It doesn't matter if they make the
session longer. They'll just waste that time like they're wasting
all their time now. They don't need a longer session, they need to
stop wasting all their time on stupid stuff.

I realized he's right. Watching the House really brought that home.
In the week from Friday 3/12 through the following Thursday, they
met for approximately 41 hours and voted on maybe 45 bills. (Numbers
are approximate because there apparently is no written record of
legislative proceedings (!), at least not one that's available to
the public, so to find out the number of bills that came up for a
vote, I'd have to go back and re-watch all 41 hours of video. No thanks,
it was bad enough the first time through.)

Then on Friday 3/19, they spent the first 10 hours getting
through, if my notes are right, just four bills. Then they took a
half-hour break, and when they came back, in the two hours from
10:30 pm to 12:30 am, I lost count but I bet they got through
25-30 bills.

The big difference is whether they let people filibuster. (I know they
don't call it that in the House, but it's the same thing.) Most of
the talking during that week had very little to do with the bill
being discussed; it was people telling folksy stories and playing
ruraler-than-thou to delay passage of a bill they didn't like.

They also waste nearly an hour in every day's session doing things
like reading long lists of bills out loud. I find it hard to believe
anyone benefits from that. Wouldn't it work so much better for
everybody if they just listed the bills on a website, or on paper
for people who can't deal with electronic formats? Plus, then they
could make those records public. (Maybe that's the reason they don't
want to do it?)

So, yes the session should be longer, and yes they should pay
legislators and staff ... but that's not really why bills so often
get stuck.

        ...Akkana

George Richmond via Action writes:
> I propose some changes to our State Legislature, some of which were proposed
> in this session...but never passed.
> 
> A) Paid Staff With over 900 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced this
> session, how can legislators keep up? they do not have time to read the
> reports so HAVING PAID STAFF TO DO THAT WORK WILL HELP.
> 
> So, I propose paid staff for all legislators during the regular sessions and
> interim committee meetings held throughout the year after the session.
> 
> B) Payment for being a legislator.  NM is the only state with only Per Diem
> payments.  Younger people, say, under 60 who are still working just can not
> leave a job to take the position....or need a working partner or spouse or
> some independent income.
> 
> I find it ludicrous that the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader
> are both attorneys and have a law firm to carry them financially so they can
> do their jobs, which include much more work, of course.  But then, they have
> staff..because of their positions.
> 
> C) Length of Sessions.  I deem the sessions too short and propose a flexible
> period.  A week before the sessions start, the Governor, Speaker of the
> House and Senate Majority Leader should meet and decide on the length of the
> sessions, which would be extended an additional 15 days for the current 30
> day short session and up to 90 days for the current long session.  My
> proposal means that the short session could be 30 days or up to 45 days, for
> example, depending on the critical issues to be resolved and the same
> approach with the Long Session.
> 
> I am not saying that this should be the topic of this Friday's meeting, but
> I want to bring it up for discussion and future action.  Certainly Hannah
> should be included and any others in the dozen or so people who attend most
> meetings.
> 
> "See" you on Friday,
> 
> George Richmond
> 
> On 3/23/2021 9:35 AM, Richard Mason via Action wrote:
> > https://thefulcrum.us/redistricting/new-mexico-redistricting
> > <https://thefulcrum.us/redistricting/new-mexico-redistricting>
> > 
> > Action Zoom on Friday at 4 pm
> >    sum up the session & talk about the special session
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Action mailing list
> > Action at mailman.swcp.com
> > https://mailman.swcp.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/action
> 
> -- 
> George M. Richmond
> 152 Juniper Hill Road, NE
> Albuquerque, NM 87122-1913
> 
> C: 505-280-2105
> E: geomrich1 at comcast.net
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
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