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.
Limiting the money a contributor can give to political candidates and increasing the frequency of how often those candidates must report their campaign finances are a good start for reforming the state’s ethics laws, Gov. Bill Richardson said Thursday.
But there’s some unfinished business.
And some of that business may wind up on the agenda of the proposed special legislative session this fall, Richardson said. The governor said he’s considering two measures, and possibly more, to put on the agenda: the creation of an independent ethics commission and a ban on state contractors giving campaign contributions to political candidates.
Both measures failed this year.
“I’ll consider it, I’ll consider it,” Richardson said. “There’s a lot of an unfinished business. A special session is great to deal with unfinished business. Now I have said the principal focus … will be on the budget. And the objective there is to see how the stimulus affects us, see how the revenues in August, they come in in August.”
But Richardson added: “I consider this important. I will consider just putting generally ethics reform” on the agenda.
The governor made his announcement about the special session moments after signing a bill, SB 116, that, for the first time in New Mexico, limits what contributors can give to political candidates.
With his signature, New Mexico joins 45 other states that already have laws on the books to limit campaign contributions to political candidates. New Mexico is currently one of only five states not to limit campaign contributions. The law goes into effect Nov. 3, 2010.
Under the legislation, individuals cannot give more than $2,300 during a primary election cycle and $2,300 during general election cycle to a non-statewide candidate. Non-statewide candidates include state lawmakers.
An individual could give $5,000 per primary election and $5,000 per general election to a candidate for statewide office, such as the governor or attorney general.
A limit of $5,000 over the same period would apply to political committees. That cap on committees is the same for political parties.
Richardson also signed a bill that will increase the number of times a candidate must file campaign finance reports to the secretary of state. The legislation, SB 128, would add requirements for reports in April and September during an election year on top of what is already required. The legislation also bumps up to twice the number of times a candidate must file in an off-election year.
