Making Democracy Work for 100+ Years

Legislative Interim Committees: What are they and why they are important

June 21, 2023 6:30 pm via Zoom

The New Mexico Legislature has a number of interim committees that meet between sessions. Much of the preparation for the actual sessions is done in these interim committees. Some of the interim committees start meeting as early as April, but most hold their organizational meetings in June and then hold their committee meetings July through December.

Two of these interim committees, Legislative Finance Committee and Legislative Education Study Committee, have full year-round staff. The other interim committees have a staff person assigned to them by Legislative Council Services.

The interim committees hear presentations from government agencies, outside experts and from advocacy groups, including the League. Many of the interim committees also endorse legislation that will be filed in the upcoming session.

If you are interested in the Legislative process, please join us for this educational event.

If you want to do some preparation for the event, go to: nmlegis.gov and click on “Committees”. Or view the Tentative 2023 Legislative Interim Committees PDF on the legislative website.

The 2023 Legislative Session

The legislative session ran from Jan 17 to March 18. See the Bills we tracked in 2023. For more details on our advocacy, see the Action page.

Watch: Effective Advocacy at the Legislature

Hannah Burling, President of the League of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico stated “For over 15 years the League has been proud to present this forum that prepares the public to be effective advocates at the legislature.” Saturday, January 7, 2023, 10 a.m. to noon.

Learn tips from legislators and an experienced lobbyist about how to interact with legislators, speak at hearings, and advocate for your cause. This is training about the legislative process, not about specific issues. Special Focus on the Budget and Taxes

Speakers:
Senator Mark Moores (R-Albuquerque) – Member of Senate Rules & Judiciary; Representative Kristina Ortez (D-Taos) – Member House Government, Elections & & Indian Affairs and House Energy, Environment & Natural Resources; and Linda Siegle - president of a consulting company focused on lobbying the legislature for non-profit agencies.

Documents from the Advocacy Workshop.

A Guide to New Mexico’s Tax System

A useful article from NM Voices for Children: A Guide to New Mexico’s Tax System.

Learn how the state collects money, and why it matters.

New Mexico Listens video

Strengthening democracy through community conversations.

Glimpse some of the recent programs LWVNM offered with support from the NM Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information and to suggest future programs, please contact projects at lwvnm.org.

LWV Los Alamos LWV Santa Fe County LWV Central New Mexico LWV Southern New Mexico

Join us!

LWVNM has four local Leagues:

You can join your local League (click on the links above), or join LWVNM as a Member at Large.

Dinner at League Day 2018

Current Activities

The Legislative Session that ended March 18 was very successful, with lots of good bills passed. Bills we tracked and advocated for in the 2022 session: 2023 Legislative Tracking Sheet. Our Action Committee monitors the legislature every year and advocates for bills on issues we've studied.

The League is leading the Fair Districts for New Mexico Project, promoting fair and transparent redistricting for New Mexico. Please visit the Fair Districts web site for updates. Or watch the 90 Second Video to Promote an Independent Redistricting Commission.

La Palabra Logo

Latest La Palabra

The Spring 2023 La Palabra (PDF, 1.5Mb) newsletter is out.

Call to Convention 2023; President’s Report; Convention Information, Schedule and Registration Form; Legislative Review; HB134 Menstrual Products Passes; Nominating Committee Report; Program Report; Budget Committee Report and Proposed Budgets 2023-5; Local League News.

Keep up to date by reading La Palabra!

For issues of La Palabra dating back to 2005, see the Newsletters page.

Recent LWVNM News

2023 State Convention

The LWVNM biannual state Convention was held in Los Alamos on April 29 and 30. For more details, see the 2023 LWVNM State Convention page.

LWVUS statement on Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Decision

June 24, 2022 LWVUS statement: Supreme Court Strips Americans of Constitutional Right to Abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Decision

“Today’s ruling strips women and those who may become pregnant of their bodily autonomy and will have devastating — and immediate — consequences across the country. While the Court’s opinion was expected, its harm is extreme and real. When women and those who can become pregnant can no longer make reproductive decisions for their own bodies, they are no longer equal individuals in our democracy. This harm will exacerbate societal inequalities and fall disproportionately on people of color and low-income communities already facing egregious obstacles to health care.%rdquo;

Read the full statement.

We the People: a State-Wide Conversation on Democracy & Elections

Sun, May 22, 2022, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM MDT.

Dark money and some media are increasing political polarization. Listen to a diverse group of panelists discuss the issues.  Some politicians are falsely claiming voter fraud to justify restrictions that suppress voter turn-out. Poll-watchers are intimidating voters and election  workers. NM is a leader in safe and secure elections and a model nationally. What should Congress do to ensure fair and accessible elections and voter confidence?

More information

[We the People: Conversation on Democracy & Elections]

For older news items, see the LWVNM News Archive.

How to Contact Your Legislator

Want to connect with your legislator? See our page on Contact Info for New Mexico Legislators.

Want to reach NM’s Congressional delegation? The Congressional toll-free number is 1-866-727-4894. Just ask for your representative or senator. Please remember that you are speaking as an individual and not for the League.