Old restrictions on NM Legislature no longer work
When New Mexico became a state in 1912, the first legislative session was 90 days long because legislators had a lot to do in forming the new state. After that, sessions, held after every general election, were 60 days until 1940, when a constitutional amendment divided it into two 30-day terms, with a 30-day recess between terms.
In 1946 a second amendment did away with the recess, and sessions returned to 60 days.
In 1964 a third amendment set the lengths we have today – 60-day sessions in even-numbered years and 30 days in odd-numbered years. Short sessions were limited to budget and finance except for matters the governor added to the agenda. That setup has now been in place for 59 years, and it stopped working years ago.
What we can expect of the 30-day session that starts Jan. 16 is that, as usual, lawmakers will introduce too many bills for anyone to read and understand. In the crush of activity, floor sessions will run into the wee hours. Bills, good and bad, will die, and our sleep-deprived public servants will pass flawed legislation that must be fixed next year.
Any measure aimed at complex problems – say, crime or healthcare – will take several years to pass because New Mexico has the nation’s third shortest legislative sessions. New Mexico takes more than two years to accomplish what Colorado legislators do in one year.
Last year, a group of women legislators introduced two measures intended to modernize the Legislature.
House Joint Resolution 2 called for 60-day sessions yearly with a five-day recess after the first 30 days. The pause would allow legislators to study bills and work out kinks that could bog down the process. Also, in the following year legislators could take up where they left off and not have to start over again.
HJR 8 would have created a commission to set salary levels for state legislators. Pay in other states ranges from $100 in New Hampshire to $114,877 in New York, which has a full-time legislature. Our neighbors’ payment is $7,200 in Texas, $24,000 in Arizona, $40,242 in Colorado and $47,500 in Oklahoma.
New Mexico is the only state in the country with an unpaid legislature, although our per diem is more generous than some states’ salaries.
“The time has come to enact some commonsense reforms… and enter the modern era,” said Mario Jimenez, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico. “The public is behind it, and the reforms are long overdue.”
The organization’s survey showed that 64% of respondents supported legislator salaries, and 70% supported longer sessions. Support cut across party and regional lines.
The two measures ran into walls and died, but they stimulated a healthy discussion.
Many lawmakers argue that salaries would allow people to serve who are not rich or retired. Others say salaries won’t make them better legislators. And some, like Rep. Martin Zamora, R-Clovis, found it awkward. “In my view, it’s just hard to give myself a raise,” he said.
Some were lukewarm on salaries but liked the idea of having staff to help with constituent issues. From this discussion came a proposal for each lawmaker to have a local office with staff. Because some of our districts are larger than eastern states it’s an idea, but the price tag could be a shocker.
My reading of the situation is that they all know this isn’t working, but extending the sessions would take a bigger bite out of their lives and incomes. They’d rather put up with current time limits. A salary might make a difference.
Sponsors may reintroduce their bills but can’t do much in 30 days, so they will be back in 2025. If you’ve ever wondered why it takes so long to get anything done in New Mexico, this is a big reason.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Old restrictions on New Mexico Legislature no longer work
