The Senate has just voted to kill another proposal to open legislative conference committees to the public.
On a vote of 20-21, Senate Bill 322, sponsored by Joe Carraro, R-Albuquerque, died.
The resolution came after a bizarre afternoon in which the Senate at first passed the bill on a vote of 19-18 with Sen. Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, voting in favor of it, Kate Nash of the Albuquerque Tribune reported. Papen then made a motion to reconsider the proposal, which passed 21-20.
Following more than an hour of debate after that, Papen and 20 others voted to kill Carraro’s proposal.
Carraro’s bill was different than another proposal that was killed by the Senate earlier this month on a vote of 20-19 in that it specified that the public could be present but could not participate in conference committees, and that political parties would have proportional representation on committees.
Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe, who voted against a similar proposal two weeks ago, voted for Carraro’s today. She told Steve Terrell of the Santa Fe New Mexican that was because the previous bill didn’t address issues about confidentiality, but her questions have since been answered.
“I have no problem with open meetings,” Terrell quoted her as saying.
Sens. John Pinto, D-Tohatchi, and David Ulibarri, D-Grants, voted to open conference committees two weeks ago, but switched sides and voted to kill the proposal this time.
Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, was the only member absent.
The Senate might have to take up the issue a third time this session, if House Bill 297, sponsored by State Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, or House Concurrent Resolution 1, sponsored by Majority Leader Ken Martinez of Grants, is approved by the House.