A bill sponsored by Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, became today the first in a package of ethics reform proposals to pass both the House and Senate.
Minor changes made by the Senate, however, mean it has to go back to the House for concurrence before it heads to the governor for a signature. According to Sen. John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, who presented the bill for Cervantes, the representative has agreed to the changes the Senate made today.
The Senate vote on the bill was 35-0. There was very little debate.
The governor has said he will sign the bill.
House Bill 823 would make several amendments to the Governmental Conduct Act. It would require that public officials disclose, in cases of contracts and other business with the state, not only their own business but also that of spouses, children, parents and siblings. It also makes the act apply to judges, who are currently exempt from its provision that prohibits bribery.
I don’t think the Senate amendments were significant, but it is a little hard to tell sometimes when lawmakers propose amendments on the floor. I’ll let you know if they were significant.
This is the only of seven bills in the ethics reform package that has passed the House and Senate.
Update, 7:45 p.m.
Here’s what Cervantes had to say:
“Public service should never become an opportunity for unethical enrichment,” he said. “Persons doing business with the state should do so with full disclosures and without undue influences. State employees should not be subject to political campaign pressures as conditions of employment.”
Update, 7:55 p.m.
The House just concurred with the changes made in the Senate, so the bill now heads to the governor for signature.