On Monday the New Mexico State House of Representatives began official audio streaming of two committees–Energy and Natural Resources and Education. Several committee rooms have already been prepared to begin streaming, according to the Legislative Council Service.
Meanwhile, there is a little something different on the floor if the New Mexico House of Representatives today. You have to look close, but in the back, in the center of the gallery side, you’ll see a webcam. The first pictures will start flowing sometime later this week, LCS said.
Of course, webcasting House Committee meeting is nothing new. It’s been done–sometimes against the rules–by representatives and members of the public, including The Independent. However, the quality of the sound should be improved. Word of mouth may be needed to spread the message that webcasting available because during our interview at LCS there was only one person listening.
As for the video, LCS said Monday those pictures should be streaming by the end of the week. The major work of wiring and camera placement was done over the weekend, with no major dent in the $15,000 the LCS still has for webcasting. The camera placed in the House chamber was one of the three originally placed in the Senate.