The State Legislature of New Mexico

La Legislatura de Nuevo México
Type
Type
HousesSenate
House of Representatives
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 17, 2023 (2023-01-17)
Leadership
Howie Morales (D)
since January 1, 2019 (2019-01-01)
Mimi Stewart (D)
since January 19, 2021 (2021-01-19)
Javier Martínez (D)
since January 17, 2023 (2023-01-17)
Structure
Seats112
Senate political groups
  •   Democratic (27)
  •   Republican (15)
House political groups
Length of term
Senate: 4 years
House: 2 years
Salary$0/year + per diem
State Senators
42
State Representatives
70
Elections
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
Last Senate election
November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03)
Last House election
November 8, 2022 (2022-11-08)
Next Senate election
November 5, 2024 (2024-11-05)
Next House election
November 5, 2024 (2024-11-05)
RedistrictingLegislative control
Motto
Crescit eundo
Meeting place
State Capitol, Santa Fe
Website
nmlegis.gov
Constitution
Constitution of New Mexico

The New Mexico Legislature (Spanish: 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

  27 Democrats
Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
 Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
End of previous legislature 27 15 42 0
Jan 1, 2015 - Mar 14, 2015 25 17 42 0
Mar 14, 2015 - Apr 5, 2015 24 17 41 1
Apr 5, 2015 – Jan 17, 2017 24 18 42 0
Jan 17, 2017 – Jan 19, 2021 26 16 42 0
Jan 19, 2021 – present 27 15 42 0

House of Representatives

  44 Democrats
  1 vacancy
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
Total Democrats Republicans Others Total Democrats Republicans Others
1st 1912–1914 49 16 30 3 24 7 16 1 William W. McDonald
2nd 1915-1916 49 14 33 2 24 7 16 1
3rd 1917-1918 49 19 30 - 24 10 14 - Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca
Washington E. Lindsey
4th 1919-1920 49 15 34 - 24 9 15 - Octaviano Larrazolo
5th 1921-1922 49 15 34 - 24 9 15 - Merritt C. Mechem
6th 1923-1924 49 33 16 - 24 9 15 - James F. Hinkle
7th 1925-1926 49 28 21 - 24 11 13 - Arthur T. Hannett
8th 1927-1928 49 18 31 - 24 11 13 - Richard C. Dillon
9th 1929-1930 49 12 37 - 24 6 18
10th 1931-1932 49 28 21 - 24 8 16 - Arthur Seligman
11th 1933-1934 49 41 8 - 24 20 4 -
42 7 - Andrew W. Hockenhull
12th 1935-1936 49 38 12 - 24 18 6 - Clyde Tingley
13th 1937-1938 49 47 2 - 24 23 1 -
14th 1939-1940 49 42 7 - 24 23 1 - John E. Miles
15th 1941-1942 49 40 9 - 24 21 3 -
16th 1943-1944 49 33 16 - 24 21 3 - John J. Dempsey
17th 1945-1946 49 30 19 - 24 18 6 -
18th 1947-1948 49 30 19 - 24 18 6 - Thomas J. Mabry
19th 1949-1950 49 36 13 - 24 19 5 -
Session Years House Senate Governor
Total Democrats Republicans Others Total Democrats Republicans Others
20th 1951-1952 55 46 9 - 24 18 6 - Edwin L. Mechem
21st 1953-1954 55 27 28 - 31 22 9 -
22nd 1955-1956 55 51 4 - 32 23 9 - John F. Simms
23rd 1957-1958 66 43 23 - 32 24 8 - Edwin L. Mechem
24th 1959-1960 66 60 6 - 32 24 8 - John Burroughs
25th 1961-1962 66 59 7 - 32 28 4 - Edwin L. Mechem
Tom Bolack
26th 1963-1964 66 55 11 - 32 28 4 - Jack M. Campbell
27th 1965-1966 77 59 18 - 32 28 4 -
28th 1967-1968 70 45 25 - 42 25 17 - David F. Cargo
29th 1969-1970 70 44 26 - 42 25 17 -
30th 1971-1972 70 48 22 - 42 28 14 - Bruce King
31st 1973-1974 70 51 19 - 42 30 12 -
50 20 -
32nd 1975-1976 70 51 19 - 42 29 13 - Jerry Apodaca
30 12 -
33rd 1977-1978 70 48 22 - 42 33 9 -
34th 1979-1980 70 41 29[lower-alpha 1] - 42 33 9 - Bruce King
32 10 -
35th 1981-1982 70 41 29[lower-alpha 2] - 42 22 20 -
23 19 -
36th 1983-1984 70 46 24 - 42 23 19 - Toney Anaya
47 23 -
37th 1985-1986 70 43 27[lower-alpha 3] - 42 21 21[lower-alpha 4] -
20 22 -
42 20[lower-alpha 5] 22
38th 1987-1988 70 47 23 - 42 21[lower-alpha 6] 21 - Garrey Carruthers
46 24 - 42 21 21[lower-alpha 7]
39th 1989-1990 70 45 25 - 42 26 16 -
25 17 -
Session Years House Senate Governor
Total Democrats Republicans Others Total Democrats Republicans Others
40th 1991-1992 70 49 21 - 42 26 16 - Bruce King
41st 1993-1994 70 53 17 - 42 27 15 -
42nd 1995-1996 70 46 24 - 42 27 15 - Gary Johnson
43rd 1997-1998 70 42 28 - 42 25 17 -
44th 1999-2000 70 40 30 - 42 25 17 -
45th 2001-2002 70 42 28 - 42 24 18[lower-alpha 8] -
46th 2003-2004 70 43 27 - 42 24 18 - Bill Richardson
47th 2005-2006 70 42 28 - 42 24 18 -
48th 2007-2008 70 42 28 - 42 24 18 -
49th 2009-2010 70 45 25 - 42 27 15[lower-alpha 9] -
50th 2011-2012 70 36 33 1 42 27 15[lower-alpha 9] - Susana Martinez
51st 2013-2014 70 38 32 - 42 25 17 -
52nd 2015-2016 70 33 37 - 42 24 18 -
53rd 2017-2018 70 38 32 - 42 26 16 -
54th 2019-2020 70 46 24 - 42 26 16 - Michelle Lujan Grisham
55th 2021-2022 70 44 24 2 42 27 15 -
Session Years Total Democrats Republicans Others Total Democrats Republicans Others Governor
House Senate

Notes

  1. ↑ Coalition of 11 Democrats and 29 Republicans controlled the House Majority
  2. ↑ Coalition of 10 Democrats and 27 Republicans controlled the House Majority
  3. ↑ Coalition of 10 Democrats and 26 Republicans controlled the House Majority
  4. ↑ Coalition of 4 Democrats and 21 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority until one of the Democrats switched parties in late 1985, giving the Republicans outright control
  5. ↑ Coalition of 4 Republicans and 19 Democrats controlled the Senate Majority in the 37th Session's special legislative session in September 1986.
  6. ↑ Coalition of 3 Republicans and 21 Democrats controlled the Senate Majority
  7. ↑ Coalition of 5 Democrats and 18 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority beginning in January 1988
  8. ↑ Coalition of 3 Democrats and 18 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority
  9. 1 2 Coalition of 8 Democrats and 15 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority

References

  1. ↑ Eisenstadt, Pauline; Belshaw, Jim (2012). A Woman in Both Houses: My Career in New Mexico Politics. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826350244.
  2. ↑ "SESSION DATES" (PDF). New Mexico Legislature. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  3. ↑ "New Mexico Statutes". Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  4. ↑ "2022 Legislator Compensation". ncsl.org.
  5. ↑ "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. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Political Composition". Nmlegia.gov.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ "LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS AND FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME LEGISLATURES" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 25, 2010. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
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