New Mexico House of Representatives

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New Mexico House of Representatives


General Information
Type:   Lower house
Term limits:   None
2012 session start:   January 17, 2012
Website:   Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:  Ben Lujan, Sr., (D)
Majority Leader:   W. Ken Martinez, (D)
Minority leader:   Thomas Taylor, (R)
Structure
Members:  70
   Democratic Party (36)
Republican Party (33)
Independent (1)
Length of term:   2 years
Authority:   Art IV, New Mexico Constitution
Salary:   0/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (70 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (70 seats)
Redistricting:  Legislature has control

Contents

The New Mexico House of Representatives is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. It meets at the State Capitol in Santa Fe, New Mexico and includes 70 members. Each member represents an average of 29,417 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 25,986 residents.[2]

In New Mexico, representatives are elected to two-year terms with no limit on consecutive terms.

Sessions

Article IV of the New Mexico Constitution establishes when the New Mexico State Legislature, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 5 of Article IV states that the Legislature is to convene its annual regular session on the third Tuesday of January. In odd-numbered years, the Legislature is to be in session for no longer than sixty days. In even-numbered years, the Legislature is to be in session for no longer than thirty days. In even-numbered years, the Legislature is limited to dealing with budgetary matters, bills that deal with issues raised by special messages of the Governor of New Mexico, and bills vetoed in the previous session by the Governor.

Section 6 of Article IV allows the Governor of New Mexico to call special sessions of the Legislature. Section 6 also allows the Legislature to meet in special session when three-fifths of each house petition the Governor with a request for a special session. Special sessions are not to exceed thirty days in length.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the House will be in session from January 17 through February 16.

Major issues

In their 30-day session the legislature is expected to consider drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, voter identification, business income tax, ethics reform, and defining homeowner rights in foreclosure proceedings.[3]

2011

In 2011, the Legislature was in session from January 18 through March 19. [4] As of late July, a special session will be scheduled for early September, however, a date has not been confirmed by Governor Susana Martinez. As of late July, issues on the agenda include:[5]

  • Fireworks use and sale ban in very dry years
  • A measure giving in-state companies an advantage when bidding for contracts
  • A ban on issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants

The 45 calendar days that the New Mexico Legislature was in session during 2011 is tied with Utah, Wyoming, and Arkansas for the shortest legislative session in the country.[6]

2010

In 2010, the House was in regular session from January 19 to February 18. Additionally, the Senate convened a special session from March 1 to March 4.[7]

Elections

2012

See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of New Mexico House of Representatives will be held in New Mexico on November 6, 2012. All 70 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections is February 14, 2012.

2010

See also: New Mexico House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of New Mexico's state house representatives were held in New Mexico on November 2, 2010.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was February 9, 2010. The primary election day was June 1, 2010.

The partisan breakdown of the House before and after the election was as follows:


New Mexico House of Representatives
Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election
     Democratic Party 45 37
     Republican Party 25 33
Total 70 70


In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $4,634,349 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [8]

Donor Amount
New Mexico Democratic Party $152,602
New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association $119,678
New Mexico Democratic Legislative Campaign Cmte $98,111
Democratic Party New Mexico $88,141
Democratic Legislative Campaign Cmte $79,641
Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 412 $70,500
AFSCME $68,885
Conservation Voters New Mexico $66,371
New Mexico Realtors Association $62,800
New Mexico Republican Party $56,929

Qualifications

Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states: Senators shall not be less than twenty-five years of age and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains :No Residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaska

If there is a vacancy in the House, the Board of County Commissioners in the county representing the vacant seat must appoint a replacement. There are no deadlines set by Article IV, Section 4 of the New Mexico Constitution which governs legislative vacancies. The appointed replacement serves for the remainder of the unfilled term[9].

Representatives

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2011, members of the New Mexico Senate are paid $0/year. Per diem is $153/day tied to the federal rate.[10]

The $0/year that New Mexico senators are paid as of 2011 is the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $142/day in 2007 to $159/day in 2010 and decreased to $153/day in 2011.[11][12]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

New Mexico legislators assume office January 1st.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Party As of February 2012
     Democratic Party 36
     Republican Party 33
     Independent 1
Total 70

Historical

New Mexico House of Representatives[13]
YearDemocratsRepublicansIndependents
201136331
20104525-
20084228-
20064228-
20044327-
20024228-
20004030-
19984228-
19964624-
19945317-


Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. [14]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
State Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, Sr. Democratic
State House Majority Floor Leader W. Ken Martinez Democratic
State House Majority Whip Sheryl Williams Stapleton Democratic
State House Minority Floor Leader Thomas Taylor Republican
State House Minority Whip Keith Gardner Republican

Current members

District Representative Party Residence
1 Thomas Taylor Republican Farmington
2 James R.J. Strickler Republican Farmington
3 Paul Bandy Republican Aztec
4 Ray Begaye Democratic Shiprock
5 Sandra Jeff Democratic Crownpoint
6 Eliseo Alcon Democratic Milan
7 David Chavez Republican Tome
8 Alonzo Baldonado Republican Belen
9 Patricia Lundstrom Democratic Gallup
10 Henry Saavedra Democratic Albuquerque
11 Rick Miera Democratic Albuquerque
12 Ernest Chavez, Sr. Democratic Albuquerque
13 Eleanor Chavez Democratic Albuquerque
14 Miguel Garcia Democratic Albuquerque
15 William O'Neill Democratic Albuquerque
16 Antonio Maestas Democratic Albuquerque
17 Edward Sandoval Democratic Albuquerque
18 Gail Chasey Democratic Albuquerque
19 Sheryl Williams Stapleton Democratic Albuquerque
20 James White Republican Albuquerque
21 Mimi Stewart Democratic Albuquerque
22 James Smith Republican Cedar Crest
23 David Doyle Republican Corrales
24 Conrad James Republican Albuquerque
25 Danice Picraux Democratic Albuquerque
26 Al Park Democratic Albuquerque
27 Larry Larranaga Republican Albuquerque
28 Jimmie Hall Republican Albuquerque
29 Thomas Anderson Republican Albuquerque
30 Nathaniel Gentry Republican Albuquerque
31 William Rehm Republican Albuquerque
32 Dona Irwin Democratic Deming
33 Joni Gutierrez Democratic Mesilla
34 Mary Helen Garcia Democratic Las Cruces
35 Antonio Lujan Democratic Las Cruces
36 Andrew Nunez Non-partisan Hatch
37 Terry McMillan Republican Las Cruces
38 Dianne Hamilton Republican Silver City
39 Rodolpho Martinez Democratic Bayard
40 Nick Salazar Democratic Ohkay Owingeh
41 Debbie Rodella Democratic Espanola
42 Roberto Gonzales Democratic Taos
43 Jim Hall Republican Los Alamos
44 Jane Powdrell-Culbert Republican Corrales
45 Jim Trujillo Democratic Santa Fe
46 Ben Lujan, Sr. Democratic Santa Fe
47 Brian Egolf, Jr. Democratic Santa Fe
48 Luciano Varela Democratic Santa Fe
49 Don Tripp Republican Socorro
50 Rhonda Sue King Democratic Stanley
51 Yvette Herrell Republican Alamogordo
52 Joseph Cervantes Democratic Las Cruces
53 Ricky Little Republican Las Cruces
54 William Gray Republican Artesia
55 Cathrynn Brown Republican Carlsbad
56 Zachary Cook Republican Ruidoso
57 Dennis Kintigh Republican Roswell
58 Candy Spence Ezzell Republican Roswell
59 Nora Espinoza Republican Roswell
60 Timothy Lewis Republican Rio Rancho
61 Shirley Tyler Republican Lovington
62 Donald Bratton Republican Hobbs
63 George Dodge Jr. Democratic Santa Rosa
64 Anna Crook Republican Clovis
65 James Roger Madalena, Jr. Democratic Jemez Pueblo
66 Bob Wooley Republican Roswell
67 Dennis Roch Republican Tucumcari
68 Thomas Garcia Democratic Ocate
69 W. Ken Martinez Democratic Grants
70 Richard Vigil Democratic Ribera


Previous Member Lists

The table below shows member lists of the New Mexico House in prior years



Standing committees

The New Mexico House has 16 standing committees:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  2. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  3. ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Election-year tension and redrawn districts set stage for political dramas at the Capitol," January 15, 2012
  4. ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
  5. ↑ KRQE.com, Special session agenda getting longer, July 18, 2011
  6. ↑ South Carolina Policy Council "50 State Legislative Session Interactive Map," February 2011
  7. ↑ 2010 session dates for New Mexico Legislature
  8. ↑ Follow the Money: "New Mexico House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  9. ↑ New Mexico Legislature "New Mexico Constitution"(Referenced Section, Article IV, Section 4)
  10. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
  11. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
  12. ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
  13. ↑ New Mexico Legislature "Political Control - Legislative Sessions" Accessed October 2011
  14. ↑ New Mexico House Leaders
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