COMMENTARY:
I take back all of the unkind things I have said and written this year about the New Mexico Legislature.
In the final days of the 30-day session, lawmakers passed legislation to reform medical malpractice laws that have been driving doctors out of the state; and to join with all other 49 states in the nation who have professional legislators earning a salary for the work that they do.
The legislation to pay senators and representatives would change the state Constitution. And so, it was passed as a joint resolution, not a bill. That means the governor can’t veto it, but it must be approved by voters in the November election.
The challenge now is to convince voters to pay for something they have been getting for free. The bill calls for legislators to be paid a salary equal to the median household income in the state, a little under $68,000 a year. The total cost to the state would be about $7.6 million. The state budget passed this year by unpaid legislators is about $11 billion.
The biggest problem with an unpaid Legislature is that it excludes a majority of the population. Bright, young lawmakers like former Sen. Siah Correa Hemphill of Silver City just can’t swing it on what they make in per diem payments.
And so, we’re left with a small group of applicants for an incredibly important job. Of the 112 members of the Legislature, 27 list no occupation at all and another 15 are retired. Of those who list occupations, there are 14 business owners, 13 attorneys and 10 teachers, who are given paid time off to lobby for larger education budgets.
There are also nine who list their jobs as consultant or coach; four ranchers and one farmer; along with several community organizers and advocates.
The result is a Legislature that is much older than the state it is serving, and removed from the day-to-day struggles of its constituents.
And, way too many of them keep getting sent back year after year without having to face competition and answer to their voters. In the last election, 37 of the 42 Senate seats were uncontested in November. Things were only slightly better in the House, where voters in 37 of the 70 districts had no choice on election day.
There is simply no way to look at those numbers and argue that we have a healthy, well-functioning democracy. Democrats have given up in the conservative parts of the state and Republicans have quit in the progressive districts. Entrenched incumbents go unchallenged and the same old ideas keep getting recycled.
Politicians running unopposed have no incentive to host town hall meetings, respond to candidate questionnaires or engage with the voters.
These 112 jobs are critical to our future. Not only do they oversee an $11 billion budget, they also are responsible for education, health care, public safety, economic development, child protection and natural resource preservation, to list just a few of their duties.
We need a professional Legislature with a paid staff to deal with these critical issues.
When every single state in the nation does it differently, that’s usually a pretty good indication that we’ve got it wrong. I didn’t think legislators would ever allow for reform. Now, it’s up to the voters to demand better.
Walter Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com
Walt Rubel's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.