{"id":1393,"date":"2007-03-12T15:07:00","date_gmt":"2007-03-12T21:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/03\/senate-approves-limits-on-gifts-to-officials-candidates\/"},"modified":"2007-03-12T15:07:00","modified_gmt":"2007-03-12T21:07:00","slug":"senate-approves-limits-on-gifts-to-officials-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/03\/senate-approves-limits-on-gifts-to-officials-candidates\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate approves limits on gifts to officials, candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Senate has just approved a bill that would limit gifts to candidates and public officials in New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state>, making it the first ethics reform proposal to pass both the Senate and House this year. <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Though both chambers have approved the limits on gifts, they passed different bills, and slight differences will have to be reconciled before either goes to Gov. Bill Richardson<\/a> for a signature.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Senate Bill 931<\/a>, sponsored by John Grubesic<\/a>, D-Santa Fe, would prohibit public officials and candidates for state and local offices from accepting gifts with value of more than $100 during legislative sessions and $250 during the rest of the year. It would also prohibit lobbyists from giving gifts whose combined value total more than $1,000 to any state official or candidate for state office each year.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It was approved on a vote of 25-15.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The bill\u2019s companion, House Bill 819<\/a>, sponsored by Rep. Gail Chasey<\/a>, D-Albuquerque, passed the House last month on a vote of 64-0 and is currently awaiting a hearing in a Senate committee.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll have an update with more details and quotes soon.<\/p>\n

\n

Update, 3:45 p.m.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The vote was a bit of a surprise after a number of senators spoke in opposition to the bill and only three, including Grubesic, defended it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The bill, as it was approved, was amended to allow local governments to adopt more stringent limits. It was also amended to exempt food from those items subject to the limits.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

That amendment was proposed by Sen. Gay Kernan<\/a>, R-Hobbs.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be very difficult to determine how to deal with this food issue,\u201d she said. \u201c\u2026 I just think food should be excluded.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Grubesic took the amendment as friendly, and Senators unanimously accepted it.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In arguing against the bill, a number of senators complained about not being able to accept or having to more closely track gifts.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In opposing the bill, Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson<\/a>, R-Las Cruces, inquired about the value of a mug that was on Grubesic\u2019s desk and was given to him. He said such gifts are hard to track.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a recipient of a gift, you really don\u2019t know the value,\u201d Rawson said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to tell somebody, \u2018No, I don\u2019t want your trinket.\u2019 It puts us in an awkward spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Sen. Shannon Robinson<\/a>, D-Albuquerque, opposed the bill. He said at a meeting with a delegation from the Colorado Legislature, he was shocked to see that state\u2019s lawmakers track every cost of a meal because of requirements in their state.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s going to start happening here,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cWhen we go to international countries, this is going to be a humiliation. \u2026 The country of Venezuela<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> would expect to give us a gift\u2026 and when we turn it down, it\u2019s a humiliation for the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cAll we\u2019re doing is we\u2019re saying that when you run for office in New Mexico<\/st1:State><\/st1:place>, take a vow of poverty,\u201d Robinson said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Sen. Cisco McSorley<\/a>, D-Albuquerque, said Robinson was wrong. He pointed out that, under the bill, \u201ca gift from the country of Venezuela<\/st1:country-region>\u201d or anyone else can be accepted by a lawmaker if he or she then gives it to the State of New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:State>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are in your official capacity and you take a gift\u2026 all you have to do is give that gift to the State of New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:State>,\u201d he said. \u201cGive the gift to the people of New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:State>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The bill, McSorley said, allows lawmakers to accept \u201csmall gifts that aren\u2019t going to influence our votes,\u201d such as mugs, and also allows a method for accepting large gifts and then giving them to the state, \u201cso then there\u2019s no humiliation.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Rawson said the solution to ethical problems doesn\u2019t lie in placing such restrictions.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we elect ethical people then we don\u2019t have to try to put ethical standards on them,\u201d Rawson said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Those who voted for limits on gifts<\/span><\/p>\n

Rod Adair<\/p>\n

Ben Altamirano<\/p>\n

Vernon<\/st1:City><\/st1:place> Asbill<\/p>\n

Sue Wilson Beffort<\/p>\n

Mark Boitano<\/p>\n

Pete Campos<\/p>\n

Joseph Carraro<\/p>\n

Dede Feldman<\/p>\n

Mary Jane Garcia<\/p>\n

John Grubesic<\/p>\n

Linda Lopez<\/p>\n

Richard Martinez<\/p>\n

Cisco McSorley<\/p>\n

Gerald Ortiz y Pino<\/p>\n

William Payne<\/p>\n

John Pinto<\/p>\n

Lidio Rainaldi<\/p>\n

Nancy Rodriguez<\/p>\n

John Ryan<\/p>\n

Bernadette Sanchez<\/p>\n

Michael Sanchez<\/p>\n

John Arthur Smith<\/p>\n

Diane Snyder<\/p>\n

James Taylor<\/p>\n

David Ulibarri<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Those who voted against limits on gifts<\/span><\/p>\n

Carlos Cisneros<\/p>\n

Kent<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place> Cravens<\/p>\n

Dianna Duran<\/p>\n

Clinton<\/st1:City><\/st1:place> Harden<\/p>\n

Stuart Ingle<\/p>\n

Timothy Jennings<\/p>\n

Gay Kernan<\/p>\n

Steve Komadina<\/p>\n

Carroll Leavell<\/p>\n

Lynda Lovejoy<\/p>\n

Steven Neville<\/p>\n

Mary Kay Papen<\/p>\n

Leonard Lee Rawson<\/p>\n

Shannon Robinson<\/p>\n

William Sharer<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Those who were absent<\/span><\/p>\n

Cynthia Nava<\/p>\n

Phil Griego<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Senate has just approved a bill that would limit gifts to candidates and public officials in New Mexico, making it the first ethics reform proposal to pass both the Senate and House this year. Though both chambers have approved the limits on gifts, they passed different bills, and slight differences will have to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}