You shouldn’t have to be rich to serve in public office. But right now, New Mexico has the only remaining unsalaried legislature in the nation. The current framework no longer serves our state well. The complex issues we face now require a vibrant, diverse body with the tools and time necessary to find the right solutions for New Mexico. The reality is that our unsalaried legislature restricts who can afford to serve as an elected official and limits the legislature’s effectiveness.

JOIN THE MODERNIZATION MOVEMENT!

We need a legislature that looks like our state and understands the needs of our people. Currently it’s primarily wealthy or retired candidates who can afford to mount a campaign and have the time off and means to serve in an unpaid post. We need better supports for New Mexicans from all walks of life who want to represent their communities as legislators.

Furthermore, New Mexico’s 30-day and 60-day sessions are among the shortest legislative sessions in the U.S. This results in debates that are curtailed and cut short in many instances. Worse yet, some of the priority legislation undertaken every year stalls simply because time runs out to advance the bills. If New Mexico is to keep pace with the rest of America, we need to allocate adequate time to write, debate and pass new laws.

For the first time, beginning in 2025, all New Mexico lawmakers will have dedicated year-round staff and district offices. This long-needed reform was passed thanks New Mexicans like you, who spoke out demanding better constituent services and more access to your representatives. The change represents a huge improvement and will provide legislators more capacity to research issues, craft policies, and reduce their dependence on lobbyists for expertise.

More must be done to ensure our legislature is an effective, co-equal branch of state government.

We can accomplish this by :

• Fairly compensating legislators

• Extending the length of sessions

• Continuing to support new district staffing policies

Reports and Resources:

• A Position Paper in Support of Legislative Modernization (New Mexico Ethics Watch)
• A Report on Legislative Professionalism for the State of New Mexico (Dr. Timothy Krebs and Dr. Michael Rocca, University of New Mexico)
• The University of New Mexico’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) study to investigate legislative modernization, focusing on three primary topics: staffing resources, legislator compensation, and session length & scope
• New Mexico Legislative Structure And Process Study Task Force Final Report
• Common Cause New Mexico Public Polling Report (Nov. 2022)

Editorials and News Stories:

• NM needs a modern Legislature to cope with modern challenges (Molly Swank, CCNM, Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 2024)
• Women legislators fight for salaries: New Mexico is the only state where lawmakers don’t get paychecks (Article by Elise Kaplan, Searchlight New Mexico, Jan. 2024)
• New Mexico needs a more professional Legislature (Editorial by The Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 2022)
• New Mexico needs to modernize Legislature (Editorial by the Albuquerque Journal, March 2022)
• Democratic women eye changes to Legislature (Article by Dan McKay, Albuquerque Journal, Nov. 2022)
• Mario Jimenez, CCNM, polling interview (New Mexico In Focus, Dec. 2022)
• Dr. Michael Rocca, UNM Political Science Professor, study interview (Retake Our Democracy, Dec. 2022)

Sign Our Petition for a Modern Legislature