There’s a lot happening in the Senate today on ethics reform proposals.
Earlier today, the Senate Rules Committee voted to send three House ethics bills on with favorable recommendations:
• House Bill 821, sponsored by Rep. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, would create a number of new campaign finance reporting requirements for candidates and political action committees designed to increase the ability of the public to know about the money involved in elections. It would also limit campaign contributions to $2,300 for state races during each election cycle. Primary and general elections are considered separate cycles under the proposal.
It now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee before it can go to the Senate floor.
• House Bill 818, sponsored by Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, D-Nambé, would create a public financing system for statewide and judicial candidates similar to the system already in place for Public Regulation Commission races.
It now heads to the Senate Finance Committee before it can go the Senate floor.
• House Bill 819, sponsored by Rep. Gail Chasey, D-Albuquerque, would prohibit state officials and candidates for state offices from accepting gifts with a value of more than $250, and prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts whose combined value total more than $1,000 to any state official or candidate for state office each year.
It now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee before it can go to the Senate floor.
In addition, three other ethics reform bills are on the Senate calendar and may be voted on today:
• Senate Bill 931, sponsored by John Grubesic, D-Santa Fe, is on the Senate calendar and is similar to Chasey’s bill. The bill was passed up by the Senate on Sunday because a senator who was not present wants to propose an amendment, Majority Leader Michael Sanchez said.
• Senate Bill 800, sponsored by Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, is similar to Stewart’s bill and is also on the Senate calendar today.
• So is House Bill 823, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, which 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.
Cervantes’ is the first House ethics reform bill to reach the Senate floor.
Ethics commission proposal apparently dead
Not all news on ethics reform proposals is good. The state’s budget bill, which has been sent to the governor for consideration, does not include $500,000 for operations of a state ethics commission.
Though House Bill 822, sponsored by Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, D-Las Cruces, is still alive, the bill, which would create a commission that has the authority to subpoena and investigate complaints against state officials, lobbyists and contractors, is nearly irrelevant without money for the commission to operate.
Garcia said it’s her understanding that the Senate refused to fund the commission. She called on citizens to continue to push for the creation of an ethics commission.
“I’m going to keep reintroducing it every year,” she said. “Hopefully, they can see that it’s a worthy thing to create and fund.”