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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.
Is Albuquerque taking up the fight to restrict the activities of nonprofits during an election year?
A member of the city’s Charter Review Task Force suggested Thursday amending the city’s charter with a proposal that bears a striking resemblance to ideas floated by state officials in recent months that would have accomplished that goal, including a bill that died during this year’s legislative session.
Member Chuck Gara proposed at a Thursday meeting of the task force amending the city’s charter — basically the city’s constitution — to require a host of entities that communicate anything in defense of or opposed to a candidate seeking elective office during an election year to register as a Measured Finance Committee, the city’s equivalent of a political action committee.
Under the proposal, the organization — be it a corporation, limited liability corporation, nonprofit or “any person or combination of two or more persons acting jointly” — would trigger the requirement if they communicated such information via newspaper, TV, radio, Internet, on a billboard, or by direct mail or in door-to-door within 120 days of an election.
Late last year Secretary of State Mary Herrera told New Mexico Youth Organized (NMYO) to register as a political committee and comply with the state’s campaign reporting laws.
NMYO was one of several nonprofits that sent out fliers months before the 2008 primary and general elections. Several incumbents lost their elections, and three of the ousted lawmakers unsuccessfully sued the organizations. Those legislators and others — as well as state Attorney General Gary King — characterized the fliers as political campaigning.
The nonprofits sued the state in federal court over the order that required them to register as political committees and list their donors.
Another attempt to restrict nonprofits occurred during this year’s 60-day legislative session.
A bill that had the backing of some legislative leaders would have required nonprofits to list donors who give more than $1,000 if the nonprofits participated in “electioneering.” Electioneering in that bill was defined as the naming of a political candidate in a piece of literature or a broadcast ad that targets the candidate’s constituency in the months prior to a primary election and general election. The nonprofits would have had to provide a list of donors to the secretary of state’s office.
That bill died in the Legislature, however.
While the proposal was suggested by Gara on Thursday, it is unclear if the charter review task force will include it in its report back to city officials. The City Attorney’s office was asked to look into the constitutionality of the proposal, and report back on April 23.
