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New Mexico State Senate
| New Mexico State Senate | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Upper house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 15, 2013 |
| Website: | Official Senate Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Mary Kay Papen, (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Michael Sanchez (D) |
| Minority leader: | Stuart Ingle, (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 42 |
| Democratic Party (25) Republican Party (17) | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Art IV, Section 3, New Mexico Constitution |
| Salary: | $0/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (42 seats) |
| Next election: | November 8, 2016 (42 seats) |
| Redistricting: | New Mexico legislature has control. |
Contents |
All seats are up for election every four years and are not subject to term limits. The next election is in 2012.
Sessions
Article IV of the New Mexico Constitution establishes when the New Mexico State Legislature, of which the Senate 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.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 15 to March 16.
Major issues
Education is expected to be at the forefront of the legislature's 51st session. Other major issues include solvency of the state's public retirement system, tax cuts for state businesses, and tougher anti-DWI laws.[3]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Senate was in session from January 17 through February 16.
Major issues
In their 30-day session the legislature considered drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, voter identification, business income tax, ethics reform, and defining homeowner rights in foreclosure proceedings.[4]
Gov. Susana Martinez (R) watched as the state legislature ended its session by rejecting a bill that would have repealed the law allowing drivers licenses to be issued to people without Social Security numbers. It was the third time she has tried to undo the law. The bill was initially passed by the House but defeated in the Senate. The Senate instead passed a measure shortening how long the licenses are valid and imposing harsher penalties on those committing fraud.[5]
2011
In 2011, the Legislature was in session from January 18 through March 19. [6] 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:[7]
- 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.[8]
2010
In 2010, the Senate was in regular session from January 19 to February 18. Additionally, the Senate convened a special session from March 1 to March 4.[9]
Elections
2012
- See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of New Mexico State Senate were held in New Mexico on November 6, 2012. A total of 42 seats were up for election. Every four years all seats are up for re-election.
The signature filing deadline was February 14 2012.
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, New Mexico State Senate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 9 |  John Sapien |
0.7% | 23,147 | David Doyle |
| District 18 |  Lisa Torraco |
3.6% | 23,340 | Bill G. Tallman |
| District 37 | William P. Soules |
4.3% | 17,887 | Cathey Jo Alberson |
| District 32 | Cliff R. Pirtle |
4.5% | 11,348 | Timothy Jennings |
| District 15 | Daniel Ivey-Soto |
5.8% | 20,660 | H. Diane Snyder |
| District 30 | Clemente Sanchez |
6.1% | 16,677 | Vickie Perea |
| District 36 | Lee S. Cotter |
7.8% | 16,972 | Mary Jane Garcia |
| District 10 | John Ryan |
8.6% | 18,537 | Joseph J. Carraro |
| District 40 | Craig W. Brandt |
10.6% | 18,051 | Linda M. Allison |
| District 39 | Phil Griego |
10.6% | 18,343 | Aubrey Dunn |
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
If there is a vacancy in the Senate, 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[10].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in New Mexico
The New Mexico Legislature is responsible for redistricting. In 2011, it formed an 18-member interim redistricting committee to make recommendations for the actual redistricting process in the Legislature.
2010 census
New Mexico received its local census data on March 15, 2011. The state grew 13.2 percent from 2000 to 2010, with notable growth in its most populous cities; Albuquerque grew by 21.7 percent, Las Cruces grew by 31.4 percent, Rio Rancho grew by 69.1 percent, Santa Fe grew by 9.2 percent, and Roswell grew by 6.8 percent.[11]
At the time of redistricting, Democrats controlled the Legislature while the Governor, Susana Martinez was a Republican. The interim committee reviewed eight House maps and nine Senate maps before the special redistricting session of the Legislature began on September 6, 2011. On September 21, the Senate passed a map on party lines, with the House following the next day. Gov. Martinez vetoed the maps on October 7, leaving a court to resolve the process. By the time new maps were passed, $8 million had been spent.[12]
Senators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the New Mexico Legislature are not paid a salary. Per diem is $154/day tied to the federal rate.[13]
When sworn in
New Mexico legislators assume office January 1st.
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 28 | |
| Republican Party | 14 | |
| Total | 42 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the New Mexico State Senate from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico is the presiding officer of the Senate and in that capacity is referred to as President of the Senate. However, the Lt. Gov can only vote in the case of a tie.
The Senate Committees' Committee exercises leadership and administrative control of the Senate. The committee is chaired by the president pro tempore and is made up of majority and minority leaders.[14][15]
Current leadership
| Current Leadership, New Mexico State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Representative | Party |
| President Pro Tempore of the Senate | Mary Kay Papen |  Democratic
|
| State Senate Majority Floor Leader | Michael Sanchez | Democratic
|
| State Senate Majority Whip | Timothy M. Keller | Democratic
|
| State Senate Minority Floor Leader | Stuart Ingle |  Republican
|
| State Senate Minority Whip | William Payne | Republican
|
List of current members
Senate Standing Committees
The New Mexico Senate has 9 standing committees:
- Committees' Committee
- Conservation
- Corporations and Transportation
- Education
- Finance
- Indian and Cultural Affairs
- Judiciary
- Public Affairs
- Rules
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
During every year from 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the New Mexico State Senate. The New Mexico State Senate is one of 16 state senates that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013.
Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of New Mexico, the New Mexico State Senate and the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ ABQ Journal, "Legislature: New Members, Old Issues," January 13, 2013
- ↑ Santa Fe New Mexican, "Election-year tension and redrawn districts set stage for political dramas at the Capitol," January 15, 2012
- ↑ Latin American Herald Tribune, "Undocumented New Mexicans Can Still Get Driver’s Licenses," February 19, 2012
- ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
- ↑ KRQE.com, Special session agenda getting longer, July 18, 2011
- ↑ South Carolina Policy Council "50 State Legislative Session Interactive Map," February 2011
- ↑ 2010 session dates for New Mexico Legislature
- ↑ New Mexico Legislature "New Mexico Constitution"(Referenced Section, Article IV, Section 4)
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers New Mexico's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," March 15, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ The Republic, "New Mexico's redistricting costs total nearly $8M, exceeding expenses a decade ago," August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ New Mexico Legislative Handbook - Pg. 8 "Organization"
- ↑ New Mexico Senate Leadership
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