The table below lists all of the individual candidates who responded to the FOG 2020 survey and their responses.
| Name | Which chamber are you currently a candidate for? | What best describes you? | Under the current budget-making process what provisions are made to ensure the process is open and transparent? The legislature does currently provide open meeting notices, webcast and handouts. (Choose one) | Under the current system, how likely are members of the Senate Finance Committee / House Appropriations and Finance Committee to take your requests into consideration in the budget-making process? | How would you describe the current process for creating a budget for the state? | Please elaborate and explain your rationale you used to answer the previous questions? (How would you describe the current process the New Mexico Legislature uses to formulate and pass the annual state budget?) | How important to you is involving the general public in all budget deliberations? (Choose one) | Would you support action to change House/Senate rules to eliminate any closed meetings and backroom budget negotiations ensuring that all budget negotiations are open and transparent? (Choose one) | If elected, what specific actions would you recommend to increase transparency and accountability within the budget process? | Would you support additional measures to strengthen compliance with the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA)? (The IPRA declares that “all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of public officers and employees.” NMSA 14-2-5. More specifically, the law provides two rights — the right to inspect public records and to obtain copies of public records. All public records are open to inspection unless a specific exception, spelled out in a law or judicial rule, applies.) | Recent surveys show that citizens want more government transparency. Specifically, what measurable and concrete steps do you believe are necessary to increase access to information held by the government? (Pick all that you would support) | Thank you for you input. If you think any important transparency areas were missing from this survey, please provide your input here. |
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| Pete Campos | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in an open and transparent manner. | Year-round hearings through LFC are held and HAFC/SF hearings lead to a final budget sent to the Governor for final consideration. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Continue to improve hearings to describe budget priorities. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Paul Kinzelman | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | No back-room secret meetings, no secret Capital Outlay funding | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Campaign funding (legalized bribery) is a hugely important issue and is the root of many other problems, including lack of transparency which allows legislators to do things that they wouldn't do if the public knew about it. This issue is at the top of my list of important issues. I think you will see that I'm well aligned with your org if you go to my website: www.Kinzelman4NMhouse8.org Note first question about involving the public, the 1st and 4th answers seem to be very similar and I would have liked to check both. |
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| Julie Brenning | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Live feed cameras are a great resource to use for all legislative meetings (particularly during COVID-19). I also think that if official decisions are occurring, they should only occur in a public meeting. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | I believe in full transparency of all official proceedings of an elected official. Right now in NM, capital outlay is secret. That is wrong and must change. I also want ALL meetings, sub-meetings, etc open to all public viewing. | ||||
| Angelica Rubio | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | New Mexico's legislature is in dire need of modernization in a number of different areas. I am working with other legislatures to bring this issue more into the forefront, and as a priority. We currently have a working group, and are being guided by reports such as those conducted by the Thornburg foundation. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I have answered this in a previous question. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Pat Woods | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | It is in the final day’s of the secession that senate finance goes behind closed doors. I assume they have all the input they need and have to make hard decisions. Should they let others in ?probably not if they don’t have stout enough personality for the outrage that occurs? John did but many in his Committee didn’t so had to find them shelter . | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | ||||
| John Foreman | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | Posting meeting notices more in advance, allowing elected officials time to gather feedback from their constituents | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I support public access to governmental affairs, assuming that this does include access to private information of an elected official (home mortgage loan amount - as example.) | ||||
| Jacob Candelaria | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | The State Budget process begins during the interim. LFC hears testimony and publishes its budget guidance to state agencies during this process; this process open to the public and done in an open public meeting. The Legislature also makes a lot of important information regularly available to the public about state revenue projections, program evaluations of state government, and the use of state appropriations. During session, all agencies make a public recommendation about their budget requests to the House and Senate Finance Committees. The Committees accept public comment and receive analysis from both legislative and executive branch economists about agency budget recommendations. Both committees debate and adopt amendments to the budget in a public meeting. All budget bills are posted on the New Mexico legislature website. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly oppose | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records | ||
| Jerry Gage | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | Make each rep responsible to their on constituents | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Michael Hendricks | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Publishing of the budget procedures and open access to video stream of the process while it is happening. May be even some form of public comment if feasible. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Not missing but a reiteration, I believe a searchable format for records would be the greatest asset to the public in easily accessing and viewing all governmental records. | ||||
| Karen C Whitlock | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | That all the capital outlay and Jr money go through a screening and ranking process | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Gerald Ortiz y Pino | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | There are public hearings on agency budget requests. However the detail work on the enormously complex and lengthy budget document is mostly done by staff--behind closed doors. Their drafts are brought to the Appropriations and Finance committees but only the four or five leaders of those committees have much more than a superficial knowledge of the budget fine points. When the document finally emerges on the Senate floor (almost always on the second to last day of the session) we are all cautioned that there isn't much time for questions...so we end up voting largely on the basis of trust in our colleagues, not on solid information about what's in the document. The worst aspect of this is that the Finance committee members in the Senate ONLY sit on that committee. They put together the budget for the education, health, children's and all other departments--without the benefit of the lengthy hearings those departments have received from the members who are not on the finance committee. In other words the decisions about budget are made by people who don't know about the needs of the departments and the people they serve, while legislators knowledegable about the State's needs have literally no say on the budget. It is a system designed to leave most legislators and the public completely in the dark. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I intend, if re-elected, to seek the position of Senate President Pro Tempore. In that role I'll be responsible for setting the tone and naming committee members. A new, open budgeting process will share the task among all the legislators: those who serve on education committees will be asked to pull together the education pieces of the budget; health committee members work on the health pieces, and so on. Those committees all conduct their work in open, in full view of the public. | Somewhat support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Antonio "Moe" Maestas | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | With the exception of 2019 we're just trying to keep the budget afloat. The staff has done a tremendous job coming up with recommendations to balance the budget. We need a full-time legislature to truly be the fiscal policy makers. Staff should be guiding our decisions - not the other way around. | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly oppose | We need all large public works (capital outlay & Transportation) projects need to be 100% transparent, including the demographic information on who gets the contracts & subcontracts. All State agencies need to go toward evidence based budgeting. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |
| Antoinette Sedillo López | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | The budget is presented with little input from any legislators outside the committee. I have not been able to make any kind of revision through the amendment process after it is presented. I don’t know the extent to which other legislators have been able to do so. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | All budget negotiations should occur in open public meetings. The public should have the opportunity to review each step and the opportunity to comment. The budget is the roadmap to state priorities and we have an obligation to steward the public’s money transparently and to listen to public input. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I believe we should have more transparency about a district attorney’s decision not to prosecute a police officer for excessive use of force. The public would have more confidence in these decisions if they understood the reasons. And, transparency will encourage district attorneys to be clear in their reasoning. See SB 17 introduced during the 2020 Special Session. |
| Kimble Lee Kearns | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Legislators should be required to list the capital outlay projects they support. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Legislators should be required to list the capital outlay projects they support. | ||||
| Brittney Barreras | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I think the Legislature should develop an online tutorial that explains the budget process. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Jeff Swanson | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Publish daily activity report. No sneaky lobbying. Publish videos of committee meetings. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Legislators should have longer sessions | ||||
| Randal Brown | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Any budget discussions would be open to the public | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |||||
| Jason Morris Barker | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | If I was elected to represent House District 27, I'd advocate for the creation of a new rule on handling the budget for the legislature that prevents all the budget talks and bills tied to the budget - all prevented from being finalized by new rule during the interim-committees in between session. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Legalized adult use of cannabis in New Mexico is inevitable and every step of that process in legislation needs to be open to the public. The legalization legislation should be rewritten and restructured so that 35% of the tax revenues are dedicated to public education.. Specifically dedicating these funds to the measures in the court ruling to provide a sufficient education to all students. And the social justice measures must be restructured for them to be equitable. The 2019 and 2020 Legalization bills were full of institutional racism and look who wrote that bill... |
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| Harry Garcia | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in an open and transparent manner. | I think the most important thing in state government or any government is transparency that is what my answers are based on. on question #3 I am a member of app every one in the com works very hard every member has a say so on all decisions made | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I will continue to make sure that all people are well informed if we dont have transparency we dont have anything | Strongly support | ||
| Well Kinney | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | Require all proposed changes in Budget include projected cost to taxpayers. | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Javier Martínez | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in an open and transparent manner. | The budget is crafted over the course of several months during LFC meetings which are open to the public. As a member of LFC I can tell you that I talk with members of the public all the time, hearing their ideas and suggestions and using these to help inform my feedback and ultimately my vote. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I'd recommend to LFC that it take public comment from the public either at the beginning or at the end of each LFC meeting. That's a glaring hole in the process. Public comment to the committee during the meeting is not taken by the chair. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Natalie Figueroa | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | The timeline of the budget process, particularly during interim within the Legislative Finance Committee, is not clear to the public, thus their options to comment or participate in the process are unclear. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | Clarify, publish, and provide access to the various steps of the budget creation process. | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| William “Bill” Soules | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | The details are often done by individuals and presented to LFC members. Many of the meetings are around the state but not webcast so only those who can attend get the information. Budget is presented to legislators without much real input. | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Enforce current rules (they are often loosely followed.). Expand open discussions among all Finance Committee members. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| DINAH VARGAS | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | To hold individuals and committees accountable by public documents readily available online. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| David Hampton | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Legislation to eliminate any closed meetings and backroom budget negotiations ensuring that all budget negotiations are open and transparent. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Daymon Ely | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a secretive manner. | I had the experience of the passing the criminal justice bill (HB 267 - 2019 session) only to have funding cut by the budget committee without proper input | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Provide better guidance to other legislators and the public about the time periods for real public input and suggestions. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Art De La Cruz | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | All deliberations public and on video | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Katy Duhigg | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Any and all determinations about how public funds are spent must be open and accessible to the public. Having spent many late nights checking committee room doors for agendas, I know that the public does not get the notice it deserves to be able to meaningfully participate in many of these discussions. I will fight for better notice provisions, which use available technology to give meaningful notice, and will push to eliminate back room deliberations. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | 1) I need more information about your proposal to institute fines for individual public officials in order to know whether this is an approach I would support. 2) While I support eliminating most fees for record requests, when I was ABQ City Clerk I did see a small minority of people who abused IPRA for personal gain, and at significant cost to government. For example, there is a gentleman in Arizona who runs a YouTube channel where he airs APD police videos obtained via IPRA requests. His requests are extraordinarily burdensome, and my understanding is that he profits financially by selling ad space related to his YouTube channel. In cases such as those, I think that charging a reasonable fee to reflect the increased cost imposed on the governmental entity is appropriate. 3) One other issue that was not mentioned, but I think should be addressed, is the Legislature’s overly broad interpretation of the NM Constitution’s Privileges and Immunities Clause to sidestep IPRA. This practice inappropriately exempts public business done by legislators from public view. | ||||
| JOHN S CLARK | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Eliminate closed door meeting to the public. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Ellis McMath | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Eliminate closed door, backroom, secret deals. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |||||
| Martin E Hickey | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | Transparent and open discussion around assumptions upon which budgets are determined | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | More transparent observations around accountability on how budgets are and are not spent, and if not why | ||||
| Denise A Lang-Browne | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Invite NMFOG to more community workshops with examples of information requested about local issues, local elected officials as well as statewide requests (IPRA's). Let's educate and inform as many citizens as we can with more creative strategies to do so. Video all committee meetings and archive them for public perusal. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Sander Rue | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | There have been and are still certain aspects of the budget formulating process that are conducted in secrecy. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | All meetings should be held publicly, webcast and archived to assure the public can be informed and aware. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Paul A. Baca | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | The first step would be to make all appropriations transparent | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Luis Terrazas | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I would advocate for open public attendance to all budget meetings — no more under-the-table, back door budget talks that are not disclosed to the people. The public deserves the right to know where their tax dollars are being spent. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Rodney Deskin | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I would push to make sure the public has every right to see and hear all negotiations | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| John McDivitt | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | All meetings and hearings related to the taxpayers money should be open to all. | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Nothing comes to mind. | ||||
| Peter Wirth | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | The budget is built during the interim by the Legislative Finance Committee during regularly scheduled hearings open to the public. During the legislative session, both LFC and DFA budgets are presented to the respective finance committees in open sessions. Members and the public can provide input on the budget as it progresses through the process. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Somewhat support | To the greatest extent possible, members and the public should be given time to review the final budget before it is brought to the floors for a vote. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |
| Charles Wendler | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | All meetings regarding budget construction should be open. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Steven Penhall | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Live Internet feeds of all sessions and budget meetings. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Bill Tallman | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | Legislators not on the Finance Committee have little opportunity for input. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | The legislature needs to allocate more time for the entire chamber to debate and discuss the budget. One problem in expanding the number of folks involved is the short sessions which do allow for significant amounts of deliberations on major issues. In Massachusetts, which meets for a total of seven months, the State Senate spends most of the month of May debating the budget. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | It is difficult to get requests in to the budget. In part, the timing is just out of sync. With such short Sessions, much of the work needs to be done before the Session starts, which limits input from members who are not on LFC. | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Longer Sessions are needed to truly craft a budget with adequate input. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | I had difficulty answering some questions as there is no area to expound on answers or explain. |
| Stephen | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Announcement required 30 days prior and stream live , voting only on the floor (open) | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Justin J. Salazar-Torrez | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I would hold my counterparts accountable | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Marian Matthews | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | I only became a legislator in January 2020 so my opinions are influenced by my minimal time in the House and the fact that the pandemic has at least temporarily altered some procedures. However, the process in the Senate seemed particularly opaque and my understanding is that Senate Finance meetings at which decisions are made were at least frequently closed to the public. I believe the House is more transparent with more meetings at which the public can participate. The pandemic has made public participation more difficult and cumbersome. Some of the real challenges are the complexity of state finances and the budgeting process itself and that much of the budgeting occurs long before the sessions begin, particularly in the short session. The capital outlay process is totally bizarre. There's a certain openness to it in the sense that we are besieged by individuals representing organizations and programs wanting us to make allocations to their cause but it's chaotic and unstructured. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | I would support legislation (1) to require both Houses have open meetings and deliberations on budgetary matters with opportunity for meaningful public input (admittedly made more difficult by the pandemic) and with very limited exceptions (i.e. lawsuit settlement negotiations), (2) to require votes in open sessions on budgetary decisions; (3) to create a commission to review and recommend capital outlay decisions in open sessions with opportunity for meaningful public input; (4) to reduce the funds that are now allotted to individual legislators for capital outlay and to require that the allocations they do make be made public by project and amount. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | I would support setting the amount of fee that can be charged per copy; I would not fine an individual public official unless they were willfully violating policy/law. The agency should be responsible. I wasn't sure what you meant by involving each legislator and the public in all deliberations. Read literally, that would seem to mean each legislator would have to be part of the budget committees. That's really not very practical since there is a lot more work than budgeting to be done. On the other hand, those who control the money are often the most powerful. A conundrum for sure. |
| Sarah Rich-Jackson | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | Expenditures should be public and which legislators voted for it should also be make publicly available. | Somewhat support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | It is important for the public to know what their representatives are up to, however, involving the public in every budgetary decision is likely to create a stranglehold on the process and reduce efficiency. With regard to strengthening IPRA cooperation and other suggested changes, I'd have to see what they are in order to gauge the effect the changes would have on the legislative process and the efficiency of the office to get things completed in a way that benefits the public. | ||||
| Scott Oliver Goodman | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | No secret meetings and deals. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Elizabeth "Liz" Stefanics | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | As a legislator, the more serious that you are in understanding the entire budget and the financial status of the state, the more consideration you receive from the appropriators. They do listen and consider positions and requests. A legislator needs to involve themselves in the discussions - whether one on one with the Finance committee members, in caucus, on the floor, and in committee hearings. | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | The Legislative Finance Committee meets throughout the interim (May through December) and offers opportunities for legislators and the public to observe the proceedings and to make comments. All legislators can be contacted by email, phone, or mail for an individual's stated positions. Interim committee meeting minutes are posted online. During the session, there are intensive meetings of the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee - long days and often evenings. This could be expanded to weekends but we need to avoid burnout of those committee members. The budget is developed three ways - with the House, the Senate, and the Governor. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | I am open to consideration of other requests for transparency - ie Independent Redistricting Commission. |
| Christine Chandler | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | Throughout the interim committee process, the Legislative Finance Committee offers opportunities for the public and members to offer input and question program and spending decisions. Later during each Legislative session, the budget is discussed in public with more time for member input. Transparency could be improved by requiring that all budget related committee meetings be held in public. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | The proposed budget should be published least 72 hours in advance to allow for adequate time for the public and members to review. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | In order to improve transparency in the budget process, I would support requiring that all meetings related to the budget be held in public. Most meetings are public but to the extent there are closed meetings, those meeting should be public as well. |
| Karen Bash | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in an open and transparent manner. | The budget process begins in the house Appropriations and Finance Committee in open meetings which the public may attend, requests are considered and a budget is drawn up and presented to the House of Representatives in open session. The public may attend the session or watch on a webcast as the budget is discussed and voted on. It then goes to the Senate which in turn is at an open meetingwhere the budget is debated and voted on | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | while the capital outlay process has become somewhat more transparent in the past couple of years, I would recommend that capital outlay requests be avaiable for public inspection and that approved legislative appropriations be published on the legislative website. I also think that the final budget be published on the website. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Ryan Chavez | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | First and foremost I would like to reform the capital outlay process to provide information to the public on which projects are being funded by which legislators. I think all document related to the budget process should be made accessible by the public. I would also advocate for more transparency in emergency spending procedures. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I believe that the public has the right to know about applicants for high-profile public positions like school superintendents and other leadership roles. This level of transparency helps to prevent corruption in the hiring process for public officials. | ||||
| Carrie Hamblen | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I would like each legislator to be open and forthcoming about where the money they request is distributed, how it is spent, if projects are incomplete, and also the inequities of the distribution of monies to districts all across the state. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | We have rural communities throughout the state who don't receive the same amount of funding as other places in the state. There needs to be equity in allotting money to our communities. And, if there isn't, there needs to be an explanation as to why. | ||||
| Bill O'Neill | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | One thing the legislature is firmly committed to is citizen involvement. During our recent special session for example, we would stop our deliberations whenever the webcasting would go down, and we would not resume until the system came back up. Now, during the current interim committee season, the public can participate by signing up with our committee staff beforehand, and we do take such involvement very seriously. Another way that marks a recent improvement on the Senate side is that our Senate Leader Peter Wirth announces which bills will be heard in our general session, unlike in the past when it was anybody's guess. We can certainly improve our transparency in how we formulate the budget. I learned not get my hopes up with certain bills of mine ever being heard in Senate Finance. One thing that I believe needs to be changed is how we do not have to disclose our capital outlay decisions unless we as legislators decide to do so. I do not understand such a tradition and always publicize mine, if asked. a | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly oppose | As mentioned earlier, I will continue to advocate for the public disclosure of our individual capital outlay appropriations. | Somewhat support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records | I of course would support more transparency with the budget making process, but the above question eliminates ANY possibility of confidential discussions (for example, what takes place in our vital closed door caucus meetings). As with any profession, some degree of confidentiality needs to exist to insure effective results. |
| rebecca dow | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | Although there are public hearings to discuss and vote on the budget, LFC staff make the budget and present it to the LFC committee. Very few changes are made due to public comment | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | LFC staff budget planning meetings should be open to the public. LFC member sub committee meetings should be open to the public. | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | We desperately need open and transparent redistricting. |
| Nancy Rodriguez | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | The current process needs to be more user friendly and more inclusive. While there are several provisions to ensure the process is open and transparent, the need exists to provide more timely notices for agenda items appearing before a Committee Hearing. The process is too fast for the public and legislators to follow any last minute changes to the agenda. During the fast pace of the Legislative Session it makes it difficult to follow amended agendas and provide the necessary input on the amended items. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Streamlining the legislative and public notice system to ensure legislators and the public have sufficient notice & time to provide input. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Mimi Stewart | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | Unfortunately, the budget is crafted by the staff and some members of the interim Legislative Finance Committee, with little regard of other member's wishes on the budget; additionally, the two finance committees during the legislative session typically disregard any bills introduced with an appropriation as outside of the budgetary process. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | With a new, and perhaps more "progressive" Senate caucus, we may have the ability to transform the budgetary process. | Somewhat support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Billie Helean | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Trust between legislators and constituents is critical. First, I believe that all press and citizens should be allowed in every committee meeting and budget negotiation - whether by zoom or in person. Moreover, we can take steps to make the capital outlay more transparent and let constituents know exactly where their tax dollars are going, including if that capital outlay money is not spent. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | The budget and capital outlay are the most critical. However, I do want to re-state the need for open press in committee hearings. There was an incident that happened in the 2020 session where a reporter was kicked out of a committee hearing - which should never ever happen at any level of Government. Transparency is key to building a strong trust between legislators and their constituents. | ||||
| Claudia Risner | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | ||||||
| Daniel A. Ivey-Soto | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | The current budget system disenfranchises non Finance Committee members and the public. We need to reform the process so that there is greater transparency in the difficult decisions made to balance the state budget. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | Currently, the entire budget is passed out on the floor to members immediately before the budget is presented for final passage. At the very least, the budget should be distributed to members and the public with suffuicient time (36 hours) to understand the decisions that were made in advance of the budget being presented for final passage. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Isabella Solis | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I would recommend transparency as it relates to where funds are allocated in the budget and for what programs and for whom it will benefit | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Christine Trujillo | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | I serve on the HAFC and have learned that as best as they can to be inclusive, the committee is often rushed and has to make quick decisions. This impacts the amount of time the members have to learn about an issue. The chair, in her wisdom, has provided workshops, asked us to participate in economic development courses and small committees to try to edify ourselves about issues,however. | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Many of us work on this process and believe we are making progress. | Somewhat support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |
| Gary Tripp | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | I would look at increasing transparency with a new set of lenses that I bring to the table; here is but one example: Capital outlay funding should be merit based and made available for all constituents to see through the CPMA portal. Offering a view-only site to allow all citizens to see what projects were sponsored by their state legislators would provide transparency and demonstrate accountability. | Somewhat support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Paul Ryan McKenney | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | All meetings should be completely open to the public and live streamed. There should be continuous live video from all meeting rooms and offices, including the governor's office. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I did not agree with increased funding because the government already wastes plenty of money. If the money came from cutting spending somewhere else, I may be able to support it. | ||||
| Matthew McQueen | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | The budget is arguably the single most important piece of legislation we pass each year. It is, in fact, a "moral document", a quote that had been attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr. Whether or not MLK said that, it's true. Since the budget steers our state, the process should be more open to both the members of the Legislature and the public at large. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | Strongly oppose | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | ||
| Joshua Hernandez | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Nothing specific but I would like to learn more. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Randall T. Pettigrew | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | For my district all constituents will have access to budget documents, they will be able to review and provide comments | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I have no issue with paying for records, there are fees associated with the time to compile the records. Fees should be limited to cost of printing. I believe our state government is already over funded. It is the responsibility of each agency to make documents accessible on-line in todays paperless society. |
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| Gregg Schmedes | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | Regarding our annual budget, NM politicians make back-room deals ahead of time, and favors are given out to certain legislators' districts. These days, lobbyists have more influence over the legislature then the everyday New Mexican, and I think that's wrong. Furthermore, if other politicians don't get along, they are threatened and penalized by having funding removed from their districts. We need significant transparency reform in NM. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | All executive branch members who do lobbying need to declare their conflicts of interest. All task force budgetary meetings should be subject to the Open Meetings Act. There should be absolutely zero ear-marking to non-profits. No legislators should be allowed to be rewarded contracts for management of non-profits they financially benefit from. | Strongly support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I support complete transparency for all executive job applicants as well as superintendents. I also support full disclosure of all capital outlay projects. |
| Robert Jason Vaillancourt | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I think the previous suggestion encapsulates the goal. Open meetings, especially concerning the budget and budgetary issues, must always be public information, and the process needs to be open to oversight by both our legislators and we the people. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | I genuinely believe this is our greatest responsibility to our Republic. I am a very open person when it comes to public affairs. I would support any and all measures that create more transparency and accountability in Government, across the boards. | ||||
| Larry R. Scott | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is conducted in a secretive manner. | DFA & LFC each provide recommendations to the legislative body. We basically choose one or the other with little modification. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | Reform the process to accommodate "zero based" budgeting | Somewhat support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |
| Rep. Susan Herrera | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | With a change in the leadership, I am hoping there will be a move toward opening Joint Finance Committee meetings to the public. I would support codifying this in legislation. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Legislation and/or rule changes to require open meetings of joint committees that affect the budget. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | The longterm answer is to take advantage of this digitized world and have agencies post information on line so that it is accessible to the public and not require a back and forth between citizens who request information and government agencies. A fiscal impact study would likely reveal that it is more cost effective to digitize rather than to assign a staffer to reply to IPRA requests. |
| Dayan "Day" Hochman-Vigil | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is conducted in a secretive manner. | While the budgeting process takes place throughout a majority of the calendar year, many legislators have few opportunities to influence or scrutinize the budget closely until we are asked to vote on it during the legislative session. This leaves little time for a deep dive into the proposed budget, and the budgetary building process is hard to access unless a legislator is specifically serving on a budget/finance committee. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | The proposed budget should be released well in advance of the legislative session to allow more time for analysis and greater scrutiny by all legislators, not just those on the budgeting/finance committees. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| John L Jones | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | Announced meetings, web cast, budget planning documents online ahead of meetings, openness of which capital projects each legislator funded | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |||||
| Pat Woods | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | It is in the final day’s of the secession that senate finance goes behind closed doors. I assume they have all the input they need and have to make hard decisions. Should they let others in ?probably not if they don’t have stout enough personality for the outrage that occurs? John did but many in his Committee didn’t so had to find them shelter . | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | ||||
| Neomi Martinez-Parra | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | The state budget should not be created in secrecy. The House Appropriations and Finance committees should not be able to shutout the public and other lawmakers who are not on those committees. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | While I wholeheartedly support transparency and open Government. It is also important to acknowledge the cost consideration of increasing transparency in Government. I am unclear on the "fees" structure regarding request for public records. I will support measures to ensure access to low-income New Mexicans. | ||||
| Candace Gould | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | Transparency regarding the appropriation process should begin in the House of Representatives. As the appropriation bill moves forward to the Senate, the Senate finance committee and staff review and make changes accordingly. I would rate this process somewhat transparent. The bill is available for review by both the public and legislators on the legislative website. Senators are allowed to offer amendments to the appropriations bill over a 2 to 3-day period. Those amendments are considered by the Senate finance committee and the final bill is presented to the committee for a public vote. Often times the final appropriation bill comes to the floor of the Senate quickly and therefore there is little time for a complete review of the appropriations act by the entire Senate. More time would allow both the public and the legislature to review and make an informed decision on the content prior to a floor vote. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | In the Senate, Senators and the public have access to HB 2 when it reaches the Senate. The Senate Finance Committee works with LFC Staff to propose changes to the appropriation bill. Amendments to HB2 are submitted to The Senate Finance Committee. I would suggest that a list of the proposed amendments be made available to both the public and legislators. I would recommend that more time be allowed for the consideration of HB 2 before it is called up for a floor vote. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |
| Robert S. Godshall | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Somewhat support | Whereas I support as much transparency in government as is reasonably possible, I do not think it is appropriate to apply a one size fits all solution to this issue. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Harold Pope Jr. | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | We need to have more transparency to the public on the overall process and the key players (Governor, LFC, Legislature, etc.) and the timelines. I have seen too many folks head up to the session to advocate for programs and agencies when decisions have already been made about funding in these areas. We need to also ensure that decisions that are being made on these budgets are not occurring behind closed doors and elected officials as well as staffers are open and honest about the decisions that are being made. These decisions should not be happening in a vacuum. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Meredith Dixon | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Somewhat support | I would like to see the capital outlay process become more efficient, transparent, and accountable. One option would be the creation of a Capital Outlay Commission. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Nathan P. Small | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | The state budget framework is produced by the Legislative Finance Committee and voted upon by bicameral Legislative Finance Committee members. Recent advancements including webcasting and public participation during interim committee Legislative Finance Committee meetings are welcome and overdue. Ensuring robust public participation and debate in the budget framework will help build a stronger budget framework The limited number of legislative days once the legislative session begins means daily, extended hearings. During House Appropriations and Finance Committee hearings public input is welcomed, and it will be important to expand input opportunities for New Mexicans unable to attend the hearings. Proudly serving on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, I am committed to supporting Chairwoman Patty Lundstrom in encouraging and facilitating public participation and building stronger and more inclusive state budgets that support all New Mexicans. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Ensure all interim LFC meetings are open to public participation, are webcast, and archived. Ensure that remote members of the public can participate during session hearings for each finance committee. Work with stakeholders to develop other solutions that expand public participation in the state budgeting process. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Phillip Salazar | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Create a budget committee of legislators and working class New Mexicans. | Somewhat support | Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | |||||
| Helen Milenski | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | There have been several closed-door meetings in the last two legislative sessions. I would oppose those sorts of meetings under any circumstances. There were even instances where legitimate media sources were improperly removed as witnesses to the proceedings. This may not be the intent of corruption, but it is the soil where corruption takes root. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | There should be an increased effort to advertise any and all government meetings and there should be a larger allowance for public comment during these meetings. There should be more advance notice with optional on-line interactive public participation. | ||||
| Joseph (Joey) Tiano | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | ||||||
| Jim Townsend | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | The Budget process allows the Dept Sec or Director to propose a budget. The details of the budget are not fully disclosed. The options given to the committee typically is to chose between the Gov proposal or LFC. Normally it is the lowest with out knowledge of detail. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Record and announce any meeting especially subcommittee meetings. Typically these are used to circumvent the requirement to archive and record which is wrong. All votes, in committee and on the floor should be recorded. All votes on amendments should be recorded. The public should know of the meetings, before they happen and should be able to view recordings quickly. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Jeff Steinborn | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is conducted in an open and transparent manner. | Budgets are built from an open committee process that accommodate public input. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | I will continue to advocate for full transparency of committee deliberations and decision making. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | We need full disclosure of all lobbying spending and involvement in legislation in the state, two measures I have continued to fight for. |
| David Gallus | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Public broadcast of all deliberations through all media that is publicly financed. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Public meetings should be timed so that all citizens are able to attend and have input; evenings and weekends allows for the greatest opportunity. Any meetings should be recorded and citizens should have access with ample time to review proposed legislation and/or resolutions. The citizens should then have ample time to have their input recorded and made public and only then should legislators vote in open and recorded session on proposed legislation or resolutions. This way, there should be no question as to transparency and the legislators views and voting record. |
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| Ali Ennenga | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | I would support a bill that permits citizens to see where and how their taxpayer dollars are spent. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| James Williams | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | The state is meant to serve the people, but it seems like that idea has flipped upside-down. The budget directly affects every part of a New Mexican’s life, and it should be required to allow the public access to budget talks. It would also be beneficial to hold forums for the public to express where they would like to see their taxes being spent, as well as outreach to educate the public on budgetary issues. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Linda M. Lopez | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Some provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Somewhat likely | The process is in need of significant reform in terms of openness and transparency. | The budget process for the state of NM is cumbersome. Over the years some changes have been made to provide opportunity for legislators and community to learn more about the process and give input. There is need for educating/sharing information of the budget, where revenues are generated, how our tax structure works/does not work to provide funding for needed services. With the time of COVID, the legislature has had to use the internet for meetings. I believe that using the hybrid process can be strengthened to include more of our community members to participate and learn the budget process and how decisions are made. | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | We have made changes to the rules to allow for transparency when negotiations happen between both chambers to arrive at an agreement on bills that have been passed and there are differences in the amendments. We can continue to make changes that allow the process and information to be shared not just during Session but during the interim too. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records | |
| Gregory Baca | New Mexico State Senate | Incumbent | Few provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Not likely | The process is conducted in a secretive manner. | The budget is often presented for examination by the entire body late in the session with little time to vet the budget which is on of our primary responsibilities as legislators. Input seems to be available to a few select group of legislators and bureaucrats. | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Frequent and regular public updates throughout the year as the budget is developed along with a more robust discussion examining expenditures and the reasoning behind the numbers. A focused examination on any increases in spending or new spending and the rationale behind those expansions. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |
| Rep. Joy Garratt | New Mexico House of Representatives | Incumbent | Several provisions exist to provide public and Legislature member input. | Very likely | The process is conducted in a somewhat open and transparent manner. | Since there are Senate and House committees as well as associated subcommittees reviewing, revising and discussing the budget, and other committee meetings also taking place, it is difficult to be aware of all of the meetings and agendas. | It is somewhat important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Somewhat support | A specific web site housing budget topics and proceedings in one place dedicated to SFC and HAFC affairs would be helpful. Even as a legislator I have to go to numerous web sites to follow everything. The ability to upload public comments at this site would be advantageous. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.) | Elimination of fees for records requests: A framework would be helpful with, for example, no fee for simple requests, but a graduated fee scale for requests involving hours of time and printed copies. If we had a paid professional legislature and not volunteer legislators working in a very short time frame, I believe there could be greater transparency in the budget process. As it is, the turnaround time for completing the budget is fast and furious, and involves year round staff and legislators both. Should all the LFC staff meetings be open to the public as well? They do a great deal of budget work in conjunction with the committee members. |
| Pam Cordova | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | New Mexico needs to produce a complete Tax Expenditure Report so the public, the media and legislators have a better idea how much certain tax breaks benefit and cost the state. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Siah Correa Hemphill | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Educational materials that explain the step-by-step budget process, materials that are easily available to the public, and in both written and video form, could go a long way toward helping everyone not only to understand the process, but be able to effectively advocate when they desire to have their views considered. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | Thank you for your efforts to improve transparency in government. | ||||
| Richelle A Ponder | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | It is extremely important to involve each legislator and the public in all budget deliberations. | Strongly support | Be sure that the process is completely transparent by opening meetings. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests | |||||
| Rick Little | New Mexico House of Representatives | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Strongly support | The budget process should be open to the public. | Strongly support | Increase funding for government agencies to set up electronic portals and searchable website where the public can view public records;Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. | |||||
| Frederick Snoy | New Mexico State Senate | Challenger | I believe every legislator and the public should be involved in the budget process. | Somewhat support | Enforce the current rules for a start. | Strongly support | Eliminate fees for records requests;Mandate that advisory committees and task force groups be subject to the Open Meetings Act (The New Mexico Open Meetings Act ensures that the public receives the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.);Institute fines for individual public officials for non-compliance with the Inspection of Public Records. |