The New Mexico Senate had a passionate debate but ultimately took no action today on the issue of webcasting its proceedings.
The debate began during consideration of a bill that would address this year’s budget shortfall when Sen. Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque, proposed an amendment that would have appropriated $7,000 for the purpose of setting up a Web site to broadcast Senate proceedings over the Internet. The Senate has already spent more than $30,000 to purchase the necessary equipment and installed it, but legislative leaders had the equipment taken down recently, arguing that the budget crunch prevented any further expenditures for webcasting.
Ultimately, Boitano withdrew his amendment after others stressed the need to approve the emergency budget fix without a controversial issue bogging it down. That was preceded, however, by an interesting debate.
It’s the Senate Committees’ Committee that has rejected the will of the bipartisan majority of senators and refused to begin webcasting. Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, was critical of that.
“We simply need our leaders to do what we’ve asked them to do,” Ortiz y Pino said. “… The money is there. We just need to tell the Committees’ Committee, ‘The money is there. Get it done.’”
But some senators aren’t ready to concede that point and spent time today debating the merits of webcasting.
“You think the debates are long now. Wait until they’re televised. You’ll never get out of here. People will pontificate,” said Sen. Phil Griego, D-San Jose. “… They will want to grandstand and become their district’s movie star.”
On the other hand, Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell, said webcasting would help ensure less pontification.
“If there’s any incentive not to look ridiculous, not to bore the world to death, not to talk for two hours, it is knowing that the people of New Mexico can see,” Adair said.
Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming and the sponsor of the budget bill being considered, said he worried that the debate on webcasting was taking the focus off the financial condition of the state.
“There is, in fact, an emergency,” Smith said.
It was at that point that Boitano withdrew his proposed amendment to the budget bill, but he said he will introduce a separate bill to provide the funding and hopes to begin webcasting live from the Senate in the next couple of weeks.
Adair argued that money isn’t the real reason the Senate hasn’t begun webcasting.
“We either have the will or we don’t have the will to do it. It’s not about money,” he said. “… It’s just about doing the right things in terms of open government.”
GOP jumps into debate
Meanwhile, the Republican Party of New Mexico jumped into the debate over webcasting today by delivering instant coffee and mugs to Democrats on the House Rules and Order of Business Committee and urging them to support House Resolution 2, which would give chairs of House committees the discretion to decide whether to allow webcasting of their meetings.
The coffee was given in response to a previous comment by Rep. Ray Begaye, D-Shiprock, who said he worried that webcasting would allow opponents to capture and use video of him sleeping for political gain. Begaye later said he supports webcasting.
Also today, former state Rep. Rory Ogle, R-Albuquerque, sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to begin webcasting or broadcasting proceedings on television. He wrote that the Legislature has a responsibility “to provide the citizens of New Mexico with every opportunity to participate or observe the Legislature while you are in session.”
Here’s a photo of the coffee baskets the GOP handed out today. By the way, it should be noted that I would not have been able to listen to the Senate hearing and write this article from my office in Las Cruces without the live audio webcast brought to us all by KUNM-FM.
