And just like that, it was over – the House and Senate gavels dropped at noon last Saturday, and it was the death knell for hundreds of bills still vying to be heard.
Open-government advocates didn’t get everything we wanted (does anybody?) but we succeeded in passing two major pieces of transparency legislation:
- Electronic Copies: SB 52 (Sen. Steve Fischmann) This bill amends the Inspection of Public Records Act to establish a clear mechanism for providing electronic copies of electronic public records, at actual cost.
- School Info on Sunshine Portal: SB 327 (Sen. Sander Rue) This billmakes sure that the largest line item in the state’s budget, K-12 public education, appears on the Sunshine Portal. It requires all school districts to transmit certain financial information in electronic format to the state Education Department, which will then work with state IT staff to upload the data to the Portal.
Finally, FOG opposed HB 216 and a particular subsection of SB 187. The former bill was tabled in House Judiciary, and the latter was vetoed by Governor Susana Martinez after passing through both chambers.
Check back here (or follow us on Twitter @nmfog) for a complete rundown of the 60-day session, including a redline of what the Inspection of Public Records Act will look like with the latest amendments.