By Nicole Maxwell
The legislature is one step closer to being modernized with two potential ballot questions passing the House Thursday.
HJR 1 would make legislative sessions 45-days each, remove the limit on legislation that can be filed in even numbered years and provide for veto overrides.
“HJR 1 proposes a constitutional amendment to even out our 60-30, legislative cycle to two 45 day sessions, and significantly removes the germaneness requirement from the second session,” sponsor Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Galisteo, said.
The House passed HJR 1 on a 59-4 vote.
HJR 2 seeks to eliminate pocket vetoes, which the House passed unanimously.
“[HJR 2] does not in any way limit the governor’s ability to veto a bill. It just asks for an explanation,” McQueen said.
Both resolutions passed without debate.
“The people of New Mexico deserve modern and transparent processes in their state government,”McQueen said in a press release. “By standardizing our session lengths, removing outdated restrictions on legislation and requiring more checks and balances on vetoes, we can better serve the people of our state.”
Both resolutions would be ballot questions on the 2026 general election ballot should they also pass the Senate.