Hello fellow political junkies!

We  are into the third quarter with Sine Die coming in nine days.

The 30-day session, which is sometimes referred to as a “budget session” since any topic not about budgetary matters has to get approval from the governor to be discussed, has so far been characterized by firearms-related bills that are part of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public safety agenda.

The debates on these bills range from thoughtful questioning to the nonsensical: from legality questions to gross misinterpretations of what the bill actually states or aims to do. 

Many of these bills were debated to the minutest degree and then passed along party lines with some passing both the committee hearings and on the House or Senate Floor calendars.

So far, one bill was debated on the House floor.

HB 129 which sets the waiting period to obtain a firearm at seven days was passed Feb. 2 and passed on a 37-33 vote.

As for the budget, the General Appropriations Bill HB 2 passed the House and is currently waiting to be heard in the Senate Finance Committee. 

AI transparency at state agencies advances

The House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill that aims to monitor artificial intelligence usage by state agencies.

HB 184 aims to do this by requiring agencies to submit an annual inventory of all AI systems used. It also requires vendor transparency,” bill sponsor Rep. Debra Sariñana said.

“But while other states are taking action to regulate use of AI, including the private sector, this bill does not,” Sariñana said. “This bill… is not attempting to regulate AI. (It) merely looks at mechanisms to gather information, improve transparency with the use of AI tools by state governments.”

The committee approved HB 184 on a 6-0 vote. No Republican committee members were present during the hearing.

-Nicole Maxwell

Funding for Domestic Violence Services

The Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee passed a bill on Friday that would provide $4.5 million for domestic violence services for the state Children, Youth and Families Department. 

The committee voted unanimously, 7-0, to pass the bill. Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Albuquerque, is the sponsor of SB 234.

Mary Ellen Garcia, managing director of the Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said that in 2021, there were 15,000 domestic violence calls, which represents a 53 percent increase over prior years. She said a CYFD assessment found that providers require $11 million to stabilize but the coalition is asking for $4.5 million to fill vacancies. 

The bill heads next to the Senate Finance Committee.

-Susan Dunlap

Legislature modernization efforts

The House Judiciary Committee passed HJR 2, which aims to eliminate pocket vetoes, on a 7-to-0 vote with minimal discussion Saturday.

The resolution would hold the provision to require any bills presented to the governor in the last three days of the session to be approved or pocket vetoed within 20 days after the legislative session adjourns. Unless the bill is vetoed within the 20 days, it becomes law.

The measure would not prevent gubernatorial vetoes but would require the governor to issue explanations for pocket vetoes, which currently do not require an explanation.

HJR 7 sets up a citizens committee to determine how much or if legislators should be paid and also passed the committee Saturday, though with more debate.

“I simply believe it’s time to give it to the voters and we see our budget shows our values and I think we need to value the state legislature as much as we value the executive and judicial branches,” bill sponsor Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, said.

HJR 7 was approved on a party-line 7-to-4 vote.

Should the measure pass the ballot, enabling legislation would be proposed to determine next steps in the process.

Both resolutions now go to the House floor. If they are approved by both the House and Senate, they will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.

For more information on legislative modernization efforts, see my story here.

-Nicole Maxwell

Waiting period bill going to one Senate committee instead of two

The bill that would extend New Mexico’s firearm waiting period got introduced to the Senate Saturday after passing the House the previous day.

Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt, R-Rio Rancho, objected to HB 129 being assigned to only one Senate committee.

Brandt attempted to send the bill to an additional committee, citing the controversial nature of the bill.

The motion failed on an 11-to-21 vote. The bill will be sent only to the Senate Finance Committee. 

Related: House approves firearm waiting period bill

Brandt said that the public safety bills he worked on with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham that were part of her public safety agenda have not had the same attention as some other bills.

His bills include SB 102 which would update the state’s Racketeering Act, which is waiting to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee after being unanimously approved by its two previous committees, and SB 122, which concerns pretrial detention and was tabled by the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee.

-Nicole Maxwell

The latest committee hearing so far

The House, Labor, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee has the record for the latest (or earliest, depending on how you count it) committee hearing of the legislative session. The committee met to discuss three bills shortly after 3:20 a.m. on Sunday, a time when surely few members of the public were still awake. 

The hearing came after a lengthy floor session that began before noon on Saturday and ended just after 3:15 a.m. Sunday morning.

The lengthy hearing came after the House took three hours of debate on a number of pieces of legislation, including one that passed unanimously. House rules indicate that a majority of the chamber can vote to end debate on a bill after three hours of discussion.

Earlier in the session, The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Republicans would use delaying tactics as part of what the paper called “politics’ version of guerilla warfare.”

House Minority Leader T. Ryan Lane, R-Aztec, said it was “objectionable” to have staff working at 3 am on a Sunday and encouraged Republicans not to attend. 

Previously, he objected to an announced hearing that would take place at the same time as the floor debate on a bill to require affirmative consent training. 

The committee heard HB 298, to appropriate $100,000 to fund efforts to prevent suicides among veterans, HB 302 to make it easier for military families to access childcare, protect those families from discrimination and adding Space Force to the definition of armed forces, and HB 303, which would create a $1 million pilot program to provide a stipend for low-income individuals who are part of certain workforce training programs.

All passed unanimously, with Republicans not attending. Each head to a second committee.

The Democrats ended the committee hearing at 3:50 a.m.

-Matthew Reichbach

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The general schedules for committee meetings during the session are as follows:

• House Agriculture, Acequias and Water Resources Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 315
• House Appropriations and Finance Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday in room 307
• House Commerce and Economic Development Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 317
• House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee  meets at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 317
• House Education Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 309
• House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and sometimes Saturdays in Room 317
• House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee  meets at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Room 305
• House Health and Human Services Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 315.
• House Judiciary Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 309
• House Labor, Veterans’ and Military Affairs Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 315
• House Rules and Order of Business meets at the call of the chair.
• House Rural Development, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 309
• House Tax and Revenue Committee meets at 8:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 317
• House Transportation, Public Works and Capital Improvements Committee meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 305
• Senate Committees’ Committee meets at the call of the chair.
• Senate Conservation Committee meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 311
• Senate Education Committee meets 9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 311
• Senate Finance Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. Monday-Friday in Room 322
• Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. in Room 311
• Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 303
• Senate Judiciary Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 321
• Senate Rules Committee meets at 9 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in Room 321
• Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee  meets at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Room 321

Agendas and meeting days can change due to the whim of the chairperson. Agendas can be updated throughout the day so it is best to check to see if the desired agenda item will be discussed or if a meeting is happening that day.

2024 New Mexico Primary Elections

The New Mexico Primary is set for June 4. Candidate filing day is in February.

The 2024 General Election day is Nov. 5.

For more information about elections contact your local county clerk’s office which can also help you check on or update your voter registration, a process that can also be done online at NMVote.org.

Local and county meeting schedules

• Albuquerque City Council meets at 5 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month.
• Bernalillo County Commission meets at 5 p.m. on  the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.
• Doña Ana County Commission meets at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
• Las Cruces City Council meets at 1 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month.
• Rio Rancho City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
• Sandoval County Commission meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
• Santa Fe City Council meets at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
• Santa Fe County Commission meets at 2 p.m. on the second and last Tuesday of each month.

Contact your local county or municipality to make sure the meetings are going ahead as scheduled since meetings are sometimes changed due to the holidays.

Tips, subscriptions and more info

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