I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
SANTA FE — Advocates are optimistic about the prospects of some ethics reform bills in the Roundhouse this year, given the cloud of scandal hanging over the state capital.
But one proposal for reform is not getting any discussion. In fact, some legislators, when asked about it, thought it already was part of state law, while others said they had never considered it.
The proposal, which appears not to be in any of the ethics reform bills before the Legislature this year, would require a campaign contributor to list his or her employer.
A dozen states require employer information from donors of most or all contributions, according to a report compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures. But New Mexico state law only requires a contributor to list his or her occupation, which is less than what is required in the federal campaign finance laws. (Click here to read New Mexico’s statute.)
“It’s actually brought up to me all the time,” said Steven Robert Allen, executive director of New Mexico Common Cause.
Listing an employer, rather than just an occupation “says a lot about where (a contributor’s) interests lie,” Allen said. “It’s an indication of where they are coming from.”
Knowing a contributor’s employer also helps the public to make connections, as in who is related to whom, Allen said.
The little-known fact about New Mexico’s lack of employer disclosure law caught some lawmakers by surprise Friday.
“I always thought that was the law,” said Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, on Friday. “Absolutely. That should be in the law.”
Sen. Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, said he’d never thought about it and wanted to ponder over it a little more.
“I haven’t thought of it about it much. It seems in terms of the disclosure issues New Mexico is one of the better states,” Sanchez said. “This is the first time it’s ever been brought to my attention.”
Sanchez argued that occupation seemed to offer enough information to the public. And by listing an employer one might miss the exact job they do.
“If your employer is Ford, you could be either a janitor or you could be a car dealer or you could be a chief executive,” Sanchez said. “But you wouldn’t have to put that.”
Some states require both occupation and employer.
“I will take a look at it,” Sanchez said.
Perennial ethics reform advocate Sen. Dede Feldman, D-Albuquerque, said requiring the listing of an employer is a good idea, although it’s not on many people’s radar.
“I don’t think anybody is thinking of it,” Feldman said.
