Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Suit up, New Mexicans. Big changes are about to take place.
That’s what a commanding majority of New Mexicans voted for — but that doesn’t mean we’re all going to like it.
Take gun control as an example. In a rural western state such as ours, there are plenty of people who don’t want additional gun controls, but you can bet there will be talk of doing exactly that. It’ll pit urban lawmakers along the Rio Grande Corridor against lawmakers from small towns and country settings around the state. Even some Democratic lawmakers will oppose the stricter gun control proposals.
I mention gun control and the city-country conflict over it because, when I clicked into the pre-filed legislation list at the state Legislature’s official website — nmlegis.gov — the first to come up was House Bill 8. That was filed by Albuquerque Rep. Debra M. Sariñana. Her bill would strengthen background checks and the penalties imposed against the unlawful sale of firearms.
The odds are against Sariñana’s bill going anywhere. It’s only one of 369 bills, resolutions and memorials already filed for the upcoming session, which starts Tuesday, and a lot more will soon be coming. And since it’s a lot easier to defeat a bill than to get one passed, most bills will fall by the wayside — to resurface later in a future legislative session, be incorporated into another bill, or simply die a quiet death.
Still, the prefilings list is an interesting read-through. You can review each bit of legislation verbatim — or search the list by subject (I found six bills with “firearms” in their title, two more with “guns”), lawmaker (there are four bills that Sariñana is sponsoring or co-sponsoring) or whatever you want (found one searching “Rio Grande”).
There’s a wealth of information available, if you know how to navigate your way around the website. A little trial and error helps.
Another good source, by the way, is Ballotpedia. Between those two sites alone, you can keep up with the session on your own — without the filter of the mainstream media.
Still, there’s something to be said for allowing media reports to keep you in the loop.
For example, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s Robert Nott recently wrote a piece about the prefiled legislation — up to about 200 at the time of his report — in which he succinctly highlighted 16 bills. Abortion, prostitution, daylight saving time, voter registration, coyote-killing contests are a few of the issues he brought out.
Or this one, reported by The Associated Press: House Bill 55 would place New Mexico into an inter-state compact that, if successfully implemented, would essentially do away with electoral votes and move the nation toward a genuinely popular election. It’s not a new idea, but it might just gain momentum this year, given the tenor of the times, and our current president.
These are quick reads. Reporters will increasingly file more in-depth reports as the session progresses. Reporters with experience in covering “the ledge” can provide insights the general public isn’t always privy to, which certainly makes them worth reading.
This year we have a 60-day session, and a lot more laws will come from it now that Democrats hold the governor’s chair along with majorities in the House and Senate. It won’t be like this year’s Capitol Hill in D.C. where a Democratic House and a Republican Senate will be keeping the other in check. At the Roundhouse in New Mexico, one party will rule the roost.
Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:
