NEW MEXICO ETHICS WATCH:
Current Projects Being Undertaken as of April 2022
1. Ethics Reform Working Group
New Mexico Ethics Watch (NMEW) began convening the Ethics Reform Working Group in November 2021, as a way to proactively bring together relevant stakeholders, including the public, to work together to achieve necessary ethics reform in New Mexico. NMEW invited the State Auditor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, the Secretary of State’s Office, the NM State Ethics Commission (NM SEC), a bipartisan, bicameral group of state legislators, and a small group of legislatively involved and effective advocates (NMEW, NM Common Cause, NM FOG, NM League of Women Voters) to convene twice a month prior to and throughout the 2022 legislative session to discuss, collaborate on and finetune proposed legislation. The gathering resulted in questions from the public being answered by government officials, legislators offering to sponsor legislation endorsed by and proposed by agencies and collaboration by multiple stakeholders on multiple issues – a success!
Moving forward, the Ethics Reform Working Group will, for the next few months, meet monthly to examine and discuss one discreet issue or piece of legislation that impacts stakeholders and is or will lead to ethics reform in New Mexico. For example, at the next meeting of the working group, participants will discuss financial disclosure. The discussion will be supported by a document prepared by NMEW that provides links to NMEW’s existing reports and recommendations regarding financial disclosure, links to the NM SEC-supported Disclosure Act that was introduced and gained sponsors but no message from the governor during the 2022 legislative session, and ethics-strengthening proposals for consideration. SEC Executive Director Jeremy Farris will present a summary of the Disclosure Act. Moving forward, other legislation, topics and issues such as the Governmental Conduct Act and legislative modernization will be discussed at the monthly meeting.
(Videos of past meetings, as well as public and participant ethics priorities spreadsheets can be found at: http://nmethicsreform.org/ .)
2. Lobbying
NMEW continues to examine lobbying practices and data and to advocate to changes to state law and practices, such as requiring registration, reporting and disclosure of employment by those conducting outreach campaigns to journalists while expending more than $2,500, in an attempt to influence the public – and ultimately public officials – about legislation, as advocated in this NMEW op-ed that appeared in the Santa Fe and Las Cruces papers and other publications across the state: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/disclose-back-door-lobbying-its-happening/article_cdb2dc82-bba3-11ec-b0d9-a758dd015f98.html.
NMEW will be analyzing data following the May 4th, 2022 reporting deadline under the Lobbyist Regulation Act and will report on the activities of lobbyists for various industries, as merited.
3. Political Contribution Data and Reporting
NMEW is currently examining data regarding political contributions and expenditures submitted pursuant to the Campaign Finance Reporting Act as of the April 11th, 2022 deadline. In particular, NMEW is currently looking at the following industries with regard to this data: oil and gas; cannabis; bail bonds; storefront lending. NMEW will expand or contract the industries examined, as merited by the data, and will report on the activities of companies, individuals, candidates and PACs, as merited.
In January of 2022, NMEW published its report regarding the storefront lending industry’s political influence through analyzing political contribution data. Fortunately, and following on the consistent work by Think New Mexico and other individuals and groups, NMEW’s report served to help coalesce support for a cap on small loan interest rates that was signed into law by the governor. (Access to the report and accompanying release video can be found here: https://www.nmethicswatch.org/the-big-interest-in-small-loans.html.)
4. Legislative Modernization
NMEW has been working with several groups and coalitions – particularly Tom Solomon’s legislative modernization group out of central NM (having been invited to participate by Common Cause) and a group of legislators from the southern part of NM, supported by the State Innovation Exchange. Both groups, which are now collaborating to some extent, are formulating a way to conduct an education campaign for the public on the need for and benefits from legislative modernization. In the fall, NMEW’s Executive Director approached the Burea of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of New Mexico (UNM) about conducting a cost study regarding legislative modernization. Money for what is now an expansive study – supported by appropriations earmarked by particular legislators - has now been approved in the recent special session’s SB 1 (or the “junior” appropriations bill).
NMEW will continue to participate in modernization groups and discussions and will meet with NM Common Cause to discuss collaboration on data-driven and other aspects of forward movement regarding legislative modernization.
5. Financial Disclosure
NMEW has prepared documentation regarding financial disclosure for the upcoming meeting of the Ethics Reform Working Group, at which the disclosure topic and legislation will be discussed. Additionally, NMEW is currently examining select financial disclosure statements of legislators with regard to seeing if any are benefitting from recent appropriations in terms of contracts with the state, etc. NMEW has published numerous, detailed reports on financial disclosure and is committed to the improvement of New Mexico’s disclosure laws.
6. IPRA Lawsuit
NMEW’s Inspection of Public Records (IPRA)- based lawsuit, against the legislature and Legislative Council Service (LCS), and seeking greater transparency with regard to legislator-supported capital outlay and appropriations, proceeds. We believe NMEW’s legal action was at least in part responsible for bringing about a temporary provision in the recent special session’s SB 1 or “junior” appropriations bill that required identification of legislator-supported appropriations within 30 days of the conclusion of the special session - it certainly did not hurt! NMEW will be preparing an amendment to current law that will call for such disclosure to be required, permanently, for introduction during the 2023 legislative session.
7. Ethical Values Curriculum
NMEW has developed a skeletal and customizable curriculum that would provide ethical values training to state agency personnel on a work for hire basis. (Preparing state employees to handle ethical situations that might arise outside the black and white letter of the law.) To date, this recent campaign has generated interest from multiple state agencies, and NMEW is in the process of following up with interested personnel, including the Taxation and Revenue Department. (View our work for hire website page here: https://www.nmethicswatch.org/hire-us.html.)
8. EthicsNOW Podcast
NMEW is in the process of recording an 8-episode run of its EthicsNOW podcast, funded by the New Mexico Humanities Council. In addition to posting these episodes on a new, dedicated website – previously recorded episodes can be found at https://www.nmethicswatch.org/ethics-now.html - Albuquerque’s KUNM Public Radio (89.9 FM) will be broadcasting these recent 8 episodes, or some compilation of them, on its flagship radio station, upon completion of the episodes.
9. NMEW Staff Videos
NMEW’s executive director, Kathleen Sabo, as well as stellar NMEW consultants Tony Ortiz and Steve Terrell, continue to record and post discussions regarding current ethics issues on NMEW’s Facebook page and website, for viewing by the public. (Their most recent discussion, regarding legislative modernization, can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/NMEthicsWatch/videos/4909345439154135.)
New Mexico Ethics Watch (NMEW) began convening the Ethics Reform Working Group in November 2021, as a way to proactively bring together relevant stakeholders, including the public, to work together to achieve necessary ethics reform in New Mexico. NMEW invited the State Auditor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office, the Secretary of State’s Office, the NM State Ethics Commission (NM SEC), a bipartisan, bicameral group of state legislators, and a small group of legislatively involved and effective advocates (NMEW, NM Common Cause, NM FOG, NM League of Women Voters) to convene twice a month prior to and throughout the 2022 legislative session to discuss, collaborate on and finetune proposed legislation. The gathering resulted in questions from the public being answered by government officials, legislators offering to sponsor legislation endorsed by and proposed by agencies and collaboration by multiple stakeholders on multiple issues – a success!
Moving forward, the Ethics Reform Working Group will, for the next few months, meet monthly to examine and discuss one discreet issue or piece of legislation that impacts stakeholders and is or will lead to ethics reform in New Mexico. For example, at the next meeting of the working group, participants will discuss financial disclosure. The discussion will be supported by a document prepared by NMEW that provides links to NMEW’s existing reports and recommendations regarding financial disclosure, links to the NM SEC-supported Disclosure Act that was introduced and gained sponsors but no message from the governor during the 2022 legislative session, and ethics-strengthening proposals for consideration. SEC Executive Director Jeremy Farris will present a summary of the Disclosure Act. Moving forward, other legislation, topics and issues such as the Governmental Conduct Act and legislative modernization will be discussed at the monthly meeting.
(Videos of past meetings, as well as public and participant ethics priorities spreadsheets can be found at: http://nmethicsreform.org/ .)
2. Lobbying
NMEW continues to examine lobbying practices and data and to advocate to changes to state law and practices, such as requiring registration, reporting and disclosure of employment by those conducting outreach campaigns to journalists while expending more than $2,500, in an attempt to influence the public – and ultimately public officials – about legislation, as advocated in this NMEW op-ed that appeared in the Santa Fe and Las Cruces papers and other publications across the state: https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/disclose-back-door-lobbying-its-happening/article_cdb2dc82-bba3-11ec-b0d9-a758dd015f98.html.
NMEW will be analyzing data following the May 4th, 2022 reporting deadline under the Lobbyist Regulation Act and will report on the activities of lobbyists for various industries, as merited.
3. Political Contribution Data and Reporting
NMEW is currently examining data regarding political contributions and expenditures submitted pursuant to the Campaign Finance Reporting Act as of the April 11th, 2022 deadline. In particular, NMEW is currently looking at the following industries with regard to this data: oil and gas; cannabis; bail bonds; storefront lending. NMEW will expand or contract the industries examined, as merited by the data, and will report on the activities of companies, individuals, candidates and PACs, as merited.
In January of 2022, NMEW published its report regarding the storefront lending industry’s political influence through analyzing political contribution data. Fortunately, and following on the consistent work by Think New Mexico and other individuals and groups, NMEW’s report served to help coalesce support for a cap on small loan interest rates that was signed into law by the governor. (Access to the report and accompanying release video can be found here: https://www.nmethicswatch.org/the-big-interest-in-small-loans.html.)
4. Legislative Modernization
NMEW has been working with several groups and coalitions – particularly Tom Solomon’s legislative modernization group out of central NM (having been invited to participate by Common Cause) and a group of legislators from the southern part of NM, supported by the State Innovation Exchange. Both groups, which are now collaborating to some extent, are formulating a way to conduct an education campaign for the public on the need for and benefits from legislative modernization. In the fall, NMEW’s Executive Director approached the Burea of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of New Mexico (UNM) about conducting a cost study regarding legislative modernization. Money for what is now an expansive study – supported by appropriations earmarked by particular legislators - has now been approved in the recent special session’s SB 1 (or the “junior” appropriations bill).
NMEW will continue to participate in modernization groups and discussions and will meet with NM Common Cause to discuss collaboration on data-driven and other aspects of forward movement regarding legislative modernization.
5. Financial Disclosure
NMEW has prepared documentation regarding financial disclosure for the upcoming meeting of the Ethics Reform Working Group, at which the disclosure topic and legislation will be discussed. Additionally, NMEW is currently examining select financial disclosure statements of legislators with regard to seeing if any are benefitting from recent appropriations in terms of contracts with the state, etc. NMEW has published numerous, detailed reports on financial disclosure and is committed to the improvement of New Mexico’s disclosure laws.
6. IPRA Lawsuit
NMEW’s Inspection of Public Records (IPRA)- based lawsuit, against the legislature and Legislative Council Service (LCS), and seeking greater transparency with regard to legislator-supported capital outlay and appropriations, proceeds. We believe NMEW’s legal action was at least in part responsible for bringing about a temporary provision in the recent special session’s SB 1 or “junior” appropriations bill that required identification of legislator-supported appropriations within 30 days of the conclusion of the special session - it certainly did not hurt! NMEW will be preparing an amendment to current law that will call for such disclosure to be required, permanently, for introduction during the 2023 legislative session.
7. Ethical Values Curriculum
NMEW has developed a skeletal and customizable curriculum that would provide ethical values training to state agency personnel on a work for hire basis. (Preparing state employees to handle ethical situations that might arise outside the black and white letter of the law.) To date, this recent campaign has generated interest from multiple state agencies, and NMEW is in the process of following up with interested personnel, including the Taxation and Revenue Department. (View our work for hire website page here: https://www.nmethicswatch.org/hire-us.html.)
8. EthicsNOW Podcast
NMEW is in the process of recording an 8-episode run of its EthicsNOW podcast, funded by the New Mexico Humanities Council. In addition to posting these episodes on a new, dedicated website – previously recorded episodes can be found at https://www.nmethicswatch.org/ethics-now.html - Albuquerque’s KUNM Public Radio (89.9 FM) will be broadcasting these recent 8 episodes, or some compilation of them, on its flagship radio station, upon completion of the episodes.
9. NMEW Staff Videos
NMEW’s executive director, Kathleen Sabo, as well as stellar NMEW consultants Tony Ortiz and Steve Terrell, continue to record and post discussions regarding current ethics issues on NMEW’s Facebook page and website, for viewing by the public. (Their most recent discussion, regarding legislative modernization, can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/NMEthicsWatch/videos/4909345439154135.)
