OUR PROJECTS
A vital part of our mission is to research, investigate, and participate in diverse topics related to government transparency
IPRA Task Force
Over the past several years, there has been a dramatic increase in public records requests at every level of government, placing increasing demands on the records custodians responsible for responding to them.
Addressing these challenges requires a robust, inclusive conversation focused on practical, real-world solutions for records custodians — without undermining government transparency.
That's why we pushed for — and now serve on — the Inspection of Public Records Act Task Force. The first task force meetings, which began at the end of April 2026, are a series of community listening sessions that will take place across New Mexico, so there is ample opportunity to get input from all who care about public records.
Legislative Access for the Public
The story of how easy — or hard — it is for the public to get information about the New Mexico Legislature can be told through three graphs, created using data collected from 30 surveys during the 2026 Legislative session.
81% of individuals who took the survey — all members of the public — said they get information about legislative sessions from the official website (nmlegis.gov).
The main information they look for, summed up in the first graph, is about the location of bills and committee agendas.
Unfortunately, 58% did not have an easy time finding this information, as you can see in the second graph. But it's the third graph that should cause the greatest concern. It shows the inability to find the information caused problems for 82% of survey participants when they tried to follow a bill, make a public comment or attend a hearing.
That should make everyone worried.
Because when the public can't participate, we are no longer in a democracy.
Public Officials & Financial Disclosures
There are 689 state-level officials in New Mexico who, every year, are required by law to submit a form that explains where they get their personal money. But there is no easy way to review each document on the Secretary of State webpage. So, we’ve taken all the data and organized it into searchable tables.