2022 New Mexico legislative session
← 2021
2023 →
|
2022 New Mexico legislative session |
---|
![]() |
General information |
Session start: January 18, 2022 Session end: February 17, 2022 |
Leadership |
Senate President Howie Morales (D) House Speaker |
Elections |
Next Election: November 8, 2022 Last Election: November 3, 2022 |
Previous legislative sessions |
2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Other 2022 legislative sessions |
In 2022, the New Mexico State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 18, 2022 and adjourn on February 17, 2022.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Democrats won a 26-15 majority in the Senate and a 45-24 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Democratic state government trifecta. At the start of the 2022 session, New Mexico was one of 26 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2022
New Mexico State Senate
- Senate president: Howie Morales (D)
- Majority leader: Peter Wirth (D)
- Minority leader: Gregory A. Baca (R)
New Mexico House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Brian Egolf, Jr. (D)
- Majority leader: Javier I. Martínez (D)
- Minority leader: James Townsend (R)
Partisan control in 2022
- See also: State government trifectas
New Mexico was one of 14 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2022 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.
New Mexico was also one of 26 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the New Mexico State Legislature in the 2022 legislative session.
New Mexico State Senate
Party | As of January 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 26 | |
Republican Party | 15 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 42 |
New Mexico House of Representatives
Party | As of January 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 45 | |
Republican Party | 24 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 70 |
Regular session
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2022 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2022. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Standing legislative committees
A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.
At the beginning of the 2022 legislative session, there were 23 standing committees in New Mexico's state government, including zero joint legislative committees, nine state Senate committees, and 14 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
There are no joint committees of the New Mexico State Legislature.
Senate committees
- Committees' Committee
- Conservation Committee
- Finance Committee
- Health & Public Affairs Committee
- Indian, Rural & Cultural Affairs Committee
- Rules Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Tax, Business & Transportation Committee
House committees
- Agriculture & Water Resources Committee
- Appropriations and Finance Committee
- Commerce & Economic Development Committee
- Consumer & Public Affairs Committee
- Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee
- Health & Human Services Committee
- House Education Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- Labor, Veterans' And Military Affairs Committee
- Local Government, Land Grants & Cultural Affairs Committee
- Rules and Order of Business Committee
- State Government, Elections & Indian Affairs Committee
- Taxation & Revenue Committee
- Transportation, Public Works & Capital Improvements Committee
Legislatively referred constitutional amendments
In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.
The methods by which the New Mexico Constitution can be amended:
The New Mexico Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a legislative process and a state constitutional convention.
Legislature
A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the New Mexico State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
Convention
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session of the state legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. A convention is held if the question receives a simple majority of the vote. Voters must also ratify amendments proposed by the convention.
Historical partisan control
The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of New Mexico.
New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2025
Eighteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Historical Senate control
Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the New Mexico State Senate was held by Democrats. The table below shows the partisan history of the New Mexico State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
New Mexico State Senate election results: 1992-2020
Party | 92 | 96 | 00 | 04 | 08 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | 27 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
Republicans | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
From 1989 to 2020, Democrats held consistent control of the chamber. Throughout the period, Democrats controlled between 24 and 28 seats, while Republicans controlled between 14 and 18 seats.[1] Democrats won the 28 seats required for a two-thirds supermajority just once and Republicans never won enough seats to take control of the chamber. The last time that Republicans held an outright majority was in 1986.
Between 1992 and 2020, Democrats held their largest majority following the 1992, 2008, and 2020 elections. After those elections, Senate Democrats held the chamber by a 12-seat majority. The New Mexico Senate was resistant to the national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). Senate Democrats never fell below 25 seats during Obama's presidency. From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2020, the New Mexico House of Representatives was controlled by Democrats with the exception of two years when the chamber was controlled by Republicans. The table below shows the partisan history of the New Mexico House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
New Mexico House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020
Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | 52 | 46 | 42 | 40 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 45 | 37 | 38 | 33 | 38 | 46 | 44 |
Republicans | 18 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 33 | 32 | 37 | 32 | 24 | 25 |
From 1992 to 2020, Democrats held control of the New Mexico House of Representatives with the exception of two years. Democrats had their largest majority following the 1992 election when they held a 34-seat advantage. House Democrats maintained their majority in elections between 1992 and 2012 but their majority declined over that time. In the 2010 elections, Democrats saw their majority decrease from 45-25 to 37-33.
Republicans took control of the state House in the 2014 elections. Republicans picked up four seats in that election and won a 37-33 majority. Before Republicans took control of the chamber in 2014, the last time that they held a majority was in 1953.[2] The Republican gains from 2010 to 2014 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats altogether.
House Democrats rebounded in the 2016 and 2018 elections, picking up 13 seats and a 46-24 majority. After the 2020 elections, Democrats held a 44-25 majority with one independent in the chamber.
See also
Elections | New Mexico State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
External links
Footnotes