2018 New Mexico legislative session
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| 2018 legislative sessions coverage |
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| New Mexico State Legislature | |
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| General information | |
| Type: | State legislature |
| Term limits: | None |
| Session start: | January 16, 2018 |
| Session end: | February 15, 2018 |
| Website: | Official Legislature Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | John A. Sanchez (R) |
| House Speaker: | Brian Egolf, Jr. (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Senate: Peter Wirth (D) House: Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D) |
| Minority Leader: | Senate: Stuart Ingle (R) House: Nate Gentry (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 42 (Senate), 70 (House) |
| Length of term: | 4 years (Senate), 2 years (House) |
| Authority: | Art IV, Section 3, New Mexico Constitution |
| Salary: | $0/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Redistricting: | New Mexico Legislature has control |
During 2018, Ballotpedia tracked notable stories from the New Mexico State Legislature. The timeline on this page shows the major events that we tracked during 2018, including events in the regular session and in any special sessions that occurred after the regular session adjourned.
If you know of any additional events that should be added to this page, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Overview
In 2018, the New Mexico State Legislature was in session from January 16, 2018, through February 15, 2018.
Partisan control
New Mexico was one of 16 states under a divided government in 2018, meaning it did not have a state government trifecta. 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 divided governments and state government trifectas, click here.
The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the New Mexico State Legislature in the 2018 legislative session.
Senate
| Party | As of July 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 26 | |
| Republican Party | 16 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 42 | |
House
| Party | As of July 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 38 | |
| Republican Party | 31 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 70 | |
Leadership in 2018
Senate
- Senate president: John A. Sanchez (R)
- President pro tem: Mary Kay Papen (D)
- Majority leader: Peter Wirth (D)
- Minority leader: Stuart Ingle (R)
- Majority whip: Mimi Stewart (D)
- Minority whip: William Payne (R)
House
- House speaker: Brian Egolf, Jr. (D)
- Majority leader: Sheryl Williams Stapleton (D)
- Minority leader: Nate Gentry (R)
- Majority whip: Doreen Gallegos (D)
- Minority whip: Rodney Montoya (R)
Regular session
Status of legislation at the end of the regular session
This table details the status of legislation covered on this page at the end of the regular session.
| Status of legislation at the end of the 2018 regular session | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legislation | Subject area | Actions during the regular session | Status at the end of the regular session |
| SB 94 | Ballot bond measures | Passed legislature |
Governor signed with partial veto |
| HB 2 and HB 3 | Budget | Passed legislature | Governor signed |
February 13, 2018
New Mexico State Legislature votes to send four bond measures, totaling $166 million, to governor's desk and ballot
The New Mexico State Legislature voted to send four bond measures, totaling $166 million, to the governor's desk. Packaged together as Senate Bill 94 (SB 94), Gov. Susana Martinez's (R) signature would put the four questions on the ballot for the election on November 6, 2018. SB 94 received unanimous support from members of the state Senate and state House. New Mexico had a divided government, with Democrats controlling both chambers of the state legislature and a Republican, Martinez, in the governor's office. Gov. Martinez signed off on each bond measure bill sent to her during her tenure, which started in 2011, although she used a line-item veto on the bills in 2012 and 2016 to remove projects. Read more here.
- Update: Gov. Susana Martinez (R) signed the bill with a partial veto on March 7, 2018.
Budget
2018
Republican Gov. Susana Martinez signed a $6.3 billion budget bill—$248 million more than the previous year—into law on March 7. The spending plan began July 1, 2018, and included:
- $3 billion to public schools.
- $90 million for teacher and state employee pay raises, the first since 2014.
- $4.3 million in additional funds for the district attorney's office to hire more prosecutors and raise salaries.
- $1 million in special appropriations for changes to the state's guardianship program, administered by the Administrative Office of the Courts, in which low-income residents are appointed guardians.
The budget placed $636 million in cash reserves and increased funding for child care assistance programs, Medicaid, and crime prevention efforts in Albuquerque.
Martinez used her line-item veto authority to cut $11.7 million from the budget, including a $5 million plan to help school districts restore cash balances, proposed reporting requirements for state agencies, and a provision that would have allowed teachers unions to invoke collective bargaining rights regarding bonus pay.[1][2]
Process
- See also: New Mexico state budget and finances
New Mexico on 
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New Mexico operates on an annual budget cycle, with each fiscal year beginning in July. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[3]
- Budget instructions are sent to state agencies by June 15.
- State agencies submit their budget requests by September 1.
- Public hearings are held from September through December.
- The governor submits his or her budget proposal to the New Mexico State Legislature on January 5 or January 10.
- The legislature adopts a budget in February or March. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
New Mexico is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[3][4]
The governor is statutorily required to submit a balanced budget. Likewise, the legislature is statutorily required to pass a balanced budget.[3]
Noteworthy events
Sexual misconduct in the state capitol
- On January 15, 2018, the New Mexico Legislative Council voted 15-0 to adopt a new sexual harassment policy. The new policy included a new definition of harassment, biannual harassment training for legislators, and a new investigatory process that would bring in an outside lawyer to look into allegations against lawmakers. The previous policy passed in 2008 and gave legislative leaders and their staff the ability to investigate allegations.[5]
- State Rep. Carl Trujillo (D): On May 2, 2018, Laura Bonar, who said she was an animal advocate working for Animal Protection Voters, posted a letter on Brava New Mexico, a website that describes itself as a platform for Democratic women, requesting Trujillo's resignation due to sexual harassment in 2013 and 2014. Bonar accused Trujillo of propositioning and inappropriately touching her and said Trujillo "shut [her] out of the legislative process" when she refused his advances.[6][7] Trujillo denied the allegations, saying Bonar was lying and refusing to step down. House Democratic leadership said they would follow newly adopted sexual harassment policies, including meeting with outside counsel to determine how to proceed. In a statement, they said, "Sexual harassment has no place in the Legislature or in our society and will not be tolerated."[8]
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.
See also
| Elections | New Mexico State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal, "Budget includes raises for teachers, state workers," March 7, 2018
- ↑ KRQE, "Governor Martinez signs $6.3 billion budget," March 7, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
- ↑ Los Alamos Monitor, "2018 State Legislature: Lawmakers vote to expand harassment policy Monday," January 16, 2018
- ↑ Brava New Mexico, "Rep. Carl Trujillo Asked to Step Down Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations," May 2, 2018
- ↑ Brava New Mexico, "About," accessed May 3, 2018
- ↑ New Mexico Political Report, "Animal protection advocate says state representative sexually harassed her," May 2, 2018
