I’ve written several times about the need to broadcast legislative proceedings online. Though there was a chance it was going to happen in the New Mexico Senate for the first time this year, it now appears it won’t happen.
Santa Fe New Mexican reporter Steve Terrell reports on his blog that he saw Roundhouse maintenance workers taking down the cameras in the Senate gallery today. The cameras were installed after the Senate voted last year to spend $30,000 to start webcasting but, last month, Senate leaders decided not to start webcasting, even though the system is in place to easily do it. They blamed the budget crunch.
New Mexico is one of six states that doesn’t webcast at least some legislative proceedings, Terrell wrote.