Attorney General Gary King and lawyers for a nonprofit at the center of an election-year controversy agree on one thing: Making New Mexico Youth Organized (NMYO) comply with the state’s campaign reporting laws would have far-reaching implications in New Mexico.They disagree, however, on whether that’s a good thing. King says he wants all groups who engage in political activity to play by the same rules, meaning all nonprofits that engage in politics should have to regularly report contributions and expenditures publicly, just like candidates, campaigns and political action committees. Attorneys for the Center for Civic Policy (CCP), the parent organization of NMYO, say that would hurt the ability of New Mexico nonprofits to bring important issues to light.“This will certainly have broader implications, and frankly this is one of the reasons I’m interested in it,” King said in an interview. “I don’t want anyone to think they can create an entity that is exempt from our campaign finance reporting laws. I think all groups should be treated equally.”Attorneys Sara Berger and John Boyd of Albuquerque, who represent NMYO and CCP, wrote in a June 6 letter to Secretary of State Mary Herrera that “requiring groups like NMYO to register as a political committee when they conduct issue advocacy campaigns” would “have a severe chilling effect on these groups’ free speech rights.” The key issues are the definition of “political purpose” in state law and the question of whether federal law applies to this situation.Ultimately, Herrera will decide whether to take the AG’s advice and force NMYO to register as a political committee. Continue Reading