[LWVNM Action] Average NM Annual Salary/Relevant to Determining Legislative Salary for NM Legislators?/Some Legislative District Office Considerations

[Meredith Machen]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: CLIFFORD M REES <cmrees118 at msn.com>
Date: Fri, May 10, 2024 at 11:14 AM
Subject: Average NM Annual Salary/Relevant to Determining Legislative
Salary for NM Legislators?/Some Legislative District Office Considerations
To: Mason Graham <mgraham at commoncause.org>, Dede Feldman <
dedefeld at comcast.net>
CC: Meredith Machen <meredith.machen at gmail.com>, Alissa Keny-Guyer <
Alissa at alissakenyguyer.com>


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:


   1. *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).
   2. *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).
   3. *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?*
   4. *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:


   1. *Create a Legislative Modernization Subcommittee of the Legislative
   Council Service;*
   2. *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)
*Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress | Congress.gov | Library
of Congress
<https://www.congress.gov/committee/house-select-committee-on-the-modernization-of-congress/hlmh00>*











-- 
Meredith Ross Machen
505-577-6337
Meredith.machen at gmail.com
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