Month: February 2019
Statement on House Judiciary Committee Passage of HB 4
“A key reason for voters’ overwhelming support of an ethics commission was to build trust in state government. That trust can only exist if the commission operates in an open and transparent manner,” said Melanie J. Majors, executive director of NM FOG. NMFOG strongly supports aspects of HB 4 that allow complainants and those accused Read More …
Bill Would Shine Light On Legislature’s Budget Process
Five New Mexico legislators are sponsoring HB 635, a bill introducing transparency into the budget making process and holding lawmakers accountable for how taxpayer dollars are allocated and spent. “The current budget will be in excess of $7 billion and it is more important than ever that lawmakers be more transparent about how taxpayer dollars Read More …
SB 619 Far Too Secretive
Senate Bill 619, creating a State Ethics Commission, is far too secretive and non-transparent. Any commission created to hold our elected officials to high ethical standards can only be effective if its proceedings are as open as possible. This bill is deficient in several areas: It starts from the presumption that all Commission meetings and Read More …
New Legislation Aimed at Promoting Transparency in Government
Attorney General Hector Balderas and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government Feb. 13 announced new legislation aimed at increasing transparency in government and reducing access barriers to New Mexico’s citizens and members of the press in their pursuit of public information. HB 26 would limit the amount that public agencies can charge the public Read More …
N.M. Senate Bill Seeks To Codify Court Of Appeals Decision
The Senate Public Affairs Committee today gave a do pass recommendation to a bill which clarifies language in the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and makes it clear that noncompliance with IPRA carries damages. Sen. Jacob Candelaria District 26 (Bernalillo County) introduced SB 285 which adds language to the current law spelling Read More …
Alarming Anti-Transparency Bill Introduced in N.M. Senate
Sen. John A. Sapien, District 9, (Bernalillo and Sandoval) has introduced a bill in the New Mexico Senate that would significantly change the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) – requiring New Mexicans to pay substantially more for electronic copies of public records. Under SB 442, New Mexicans would be required to pay Read More …