New Mexico Legislature Explained

The State Legislature of New Mexico
Native Name:	La Legislatura de Nuevo México
Native Name Lang:	Spanish
Coa Pic:	Seal of the State Legislature of New Mexico.svg
Coa Res:	200px
House Type:	Bicameral
Houses:	Senate House of Representatives
Term Limits:	None
Leader1 Type:	President of the Senate (Lt. Governor)
Leader1:	Howie Morales
Party1:	(D)
Leader2 Type:	President pro tempore of the Senate
Leader2:	Mimi Stewart
Party2:	(D)
Leader3 Type:	Speaker of the House
Leader3:	Javier Martínez
Party3:	(D)
Seats:	112
House1:	Senate
House2:	House
Structure1:	New Mexico Senate.svg
Structure1 Res:	250px
Structure2:	New Mexico House of Representatives 2022.svg
Structure2 Res:	250px
Term Length:	Senate 4 years House: 2 years
Salary:	$0/year + per diem
Seats1 Title:	State Senators
Seats1:	42
Seats2 Title:	State Representatives
Seats2:	70
Voting System1:	First-past-the-post
Voting System2:	First-past-the-post
Last Election1:
Last Election2:
Redistricting:	Legislative control
Motto:	Crescit eundo
Session Room:	NewMexicoCapitol SantaFe.jpg
Session Res:	275px
Meeting Place:	New Mexico State Capitol Santa Fe
Constitution:	Constitution of New Mexico

The New Mexico Legislature (Spanish; Castilian: Legislatura de Nuevo México) is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate.

History

The New Mexico Legislature was established when New Mexico officially became a state and was admitted to the union in 1912. In 1922, Bertha M. Paxton became the first woman elected to the New Mexico Legislature, serving one term in the House of Representatives.^[1]

Session structure and operations

The Legislature meets every year, in regular session on the third Tuesday in January. The New Mexico Constitution limits the regular session to 60 calendar days, every other year it is 30 days.^[2] The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, while the Speaker of the House is elected from that body in a closed-door majority-member caucus. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.

While only the Governor can call the Legislature into special sessions, the Legislature can call itself into an extraordinary session. There is no limit on the number of special sessions a governor can call. The New Mexico Constitution does not limit the duration of each special session; lawmakers may consider only those issues designated by the governor in the "call," or proclamation convening the special session (though other issues may be added by the Governor during a session).^[3]

Any bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor takes effect 90 days after its passage unless two-thirds of each house votes to give the bill immediate effect, earlier effect (before 90 day period), or later effect (after 90 day period).

Compensation

New Mexico does not pay its legislators a base salary. Legislators receive per diem of $165 for work at the capitol or committee hearings during January and February, going up to $194 during March.^[4]

Qualifications

The state constitution requires representatives to be at least twenty-one years old and senators to be at least twenty-five, and members of both houses must live in the districts they represent.^[5]

Districting

The legislature consists of 70 representatives and 42 senators. Each member of the House represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico. Each member of the Senate represents roughly 43,300 residents. Currently the Democratic Party holds a majority in both of the chambers of New Mexico Legislature, and holds the Governor's office.^[6]

Redistricting

In 2021, Senate Bill 304 established the Citizen Redistricting Committee. The committee is to develop three redistricting plans to recommend to the Legislature for each of the following: U.S. House of Representatives, New Mexico House of Representatives, New Mexico Senate, and any other state offices requiring redistricting. As of the summer of 2021, the latter consisted of only the New Mexico Public Education Commission. The Legislature is still free to make its own redistricting plans.^[7]

Term limits

Currently, there are no term limits for legislators. The longest current member of the legislature has served since 1972. House members are elected every two years, while Senate members are elected every four years.^[8]

Party summary

State Senate

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	End of previous legislature		27	15	42	0

nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Jan 1, 2015 - Mar 14, 2015		25	17	42	0
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Mar 14, 2015 - Apr 5, 2015		24	17	41	1
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Apr 5, 2015 – Jan 17, 2017		24	18	42	0
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Jan 17, 2017 – Jan 19, 2021		26	16	42	0
nowrap style="font-size:80%"	Jan 19, 2021 – present		27	15	42	0

House of Representatives

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Ind	Republican		Vacant
51st legislature		38	0	32	70	0

52nd legislature	33	0		37	70	0

53rd legislature		38	0	32	70	0

54th legislature		46	1	23	70	0
55th legislature		43	2	24	69	1
56th legislature		45	0	25	70	0

History

Session	Years		House					Senate					Governor
Session	Years		Total		Democrats			Republicans	Others	Total			Governor	Democrats		Republicans	Others
	1912–1914			49		16			30	3			24		7		16	1	rowspan=2	William W. McDonald
	1915-1916			49		14			33	2			24		7		16	1
	1917-1918		rowspan=2	49	rowspan=2	19		rowspan=2	30	-	rowspan=2		24	rowspan=2	10	rowspan=2	14	-		Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca
	1917-1918			Washington E. Lindsey						-								-
	1919-1920			49		15			34	-			24		9		15	-		Octaviano Larrazolo
	1921-1922			49		15			34	-			24		9		15	-		Merritt C. Mechem
	1923-1924			49		33			16	-			24		9		15	-		James F. Hinkle
	1925-1926			49		28			21	-			24		11		13	-		Arthur T. Hannett
	1927-1928			49		18			31	-			24		11		13	-	rowspan=2	Richard C. Dillon
	1929-1930			49		12			37	-			24		6		18
	1931-1932			49		28			21	-			24		8		16	-	rowspan=2	Arthur Seligman
	1933-1934		rowspan=2	49		41			8	-	rowspan=2		24	rowspan=2	20	rowspan=2	4	-
	1933-1934			42		7		-		Andrew W. Hockenhull								-
	1935-1936			49		38			12	-			24		18		6	-	rowspan=2	Clyde Tingley
	1937-1938			49		47			2	-			24		23		1	-
	1939-1940			49		42			7	-			24		23		1	-	rowspan=2	John E. Miles
	1941-1942			49		40			9	-			24		21		3	-
	1943-1944			49		33			16	-			24		21		3	-	rowspan=2	John J. Dempsey
	1945-1946			49		30			19	-			24		18		6	-
	1947-1948			49		30			19	-			24		18		6	-	rowspan=2	Thomas J. Mabry
	1949-1950			49		36			13	-			24		19		5	-
Session	Years		House					Senate					Governor
Session	Years		Total		Democrats			Republicans	Others	Total			Governor	Democrats		Republicans	Others
	1951-1952			55		46			9	-			24		18		6	-	rowspan=2	Edwin L. Mechem
	1953-1954			55		27			28	-			31		22		9	-
	1955-1956			55		51			4	-			32		23		9	-		John F. Simms
	1957-1958			66		43			23	-			32		24		8	-		Edwin L. Mechem
	1959-1960			66		60			6	-			32		24		8	-		John Burroughs
	1961-1962		rowspan=2	66	rowspan=2	59		rowspan=2	7	-	rowspan=2		32	rowspan=2	28	rowspan=2	4	-		Edwin L. Mechem
	1961-1962			Tom Bolack						-								-
	1963-1964			66		55			11	-			32		28		4	-	rowspan=2	Jack M. Campbell
	1965-1966			77		59			18	-			32		28		4	-
	1967-1968			70		45			25	-			42		25		17	-	rowspan=2	David F. Cargo
	1969-1970			70		44			26	-			42		25		17	-
	1971-1972			70		48			22	-			42		28		14	-	rowspan=3	Bruce King
	1973-1974		rowspan=2	70		51			19	-	rowspan=2		42	rowspan=2	30	rowspan=2	12	-
	1973-1974			50		20		-										-
	1975-1976		rowspan=2	70	rowspan=2	51		rowspan=2	19	-	rowspan=2		42		29		13	-	rowspan=3	Jerry Apodaca
	1975-1976			30		12		-		-
	1977-1978			70		48			22	-			42		33		9	-
	1979-1980		rowspan=2	70	rowspan=2	41		rowspan=2	29	-	rowspan=2		42		33		9	-	rowspan=4	Bruce King
	1979-1980			32		10		-		-
	1981-1982		rowspan=2	70	rowspan=2	41		rowspan=2	29	-	rowspan=2		42		22		20	-
	1981-1982			23		19		-		-
	1983-1984		rowspan=2	70		46			24	-	rowspan=2		42	rowspan=2	23	rowspan=2	19	-	rowspan=5	Toney Anaya
	1983-1984			47		23		-										-
	1985-1986		rowspan=3	70	rowspan=3	43		rowspan=3	27	-	rowspan=2		42		21		21	-
				20		22		-
				42		20			22
	1987-1988		rowspan=2	70		47			23	-			42		21		21	-	rowspan=4	Garrey Carruthers
	1987-1988			46		24		-		42			21		21
	1989-1990		rowspan=2	70	rowspan=2	45		rowspan=2	25	-	rowspan=2		42		26		16	-
	1989-1990			25		17		-		-
Session	Years		House					Senate					Governor
Session	Years		Total		Democrats			Republicans	Others	Total			Governor	Democrats		Republicans	Others
	1991-1992			70		49			21	-			42		26		16	-	rowspan=2	Bruce King
	1993-1994			70		53			17	-			42		27		15	-
	1995-1996			70		46			24	-			42		27		15	-	rowspan=4	Gary Johnson
	1997-1998			70		42			28	-			42		25		17	-
	1999-2000			70		40			30	-			42		25		17	-
	2001-2002			70		42			28	-			42		24		18	-
	2003-2004			70		43			27	-			42		24		18	-	rowspan=4	Bill Richardson
	2005-2006		70		42		28	-		42		24		18	-
	2007-2008		70		42		28	-		42		24		18	-
	2009-2010		70		45		25	-		42		27		15	-
	2011-2012		70		36		33	1		42		27		15	-	rowspan=4	Susana Martinez
	2013-2014		70		38		32	-		42		25		17	-
	2015-2016		70		33		37	-		42		24		18	-
	2017-2018		70		38		32	-		42		26		16	-
	2019-2020		70		46		24	-		42		26		16	-	Michelle Lujan Grisham
	2021-2022		70		44		24	2		42		27		15	-
Session	Years	Total		Democrats		Republicans	Others	Total		Democrats		Republicans	Others	Governor
Session	Years	House				Senate								Governor

External links

New Mexico Legislature official website

Notes and References

Book: Eisenstadt . Pauline . Belshaw . Jim . A Woman in Both Houses: My Career in New Mexico Politics . University of New Mexico Press . 2012 . 9780826350244 .
Web site: SESSION DATES . New Mexico Legislature . February 23, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190615112954/https://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/lcsdocs/sessionsdates.pdf . June 15, 2019 . dead .
Web site: New Mexico Statutes . June 12, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120505000622/http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/statutes.aspx . May 5, 2012.
Web site: 2022 Legislator Compensation. ncsl.org.
Web site: Constitution (AS ADOPTED JANUARY 21, 1911, AND AS SUBSEQUENTLY AMENDED BY THE PEOPLE IN GENERAL AND SPECIAL ELECTIONS 1911 THROUGH 2021. PDF. Api.realfile.rtsclients.com. July 24, 2022.
Web site: Political Composition. Nmlegia.gov.
Web site: Archived copy . August 8, 2021 . July 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210725072941/https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/21%20Regular/final/SB0304.pdf . dead .
Web site: LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS AND FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME LEGISLATURES . June 12, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101225194736/https://crcmich.org/PUBLICAT/2000s/2007/note200703.pdf . December 25, 2010.