Senate Bill 191 is on its way to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk.

If signed, the bill will require the disclosure of the cumulative total of all individual expenditures of less than $100 made or incurred by the employer or lobbyist during the covered reporting period.

The expenditures must be separated into meals and beverages, other entertainment expenditures, and other expenditures.

Grisham has indicated she intends to sign the bill. Once signed, the bill will be effective July 1, 2019.

Three lobbying bills have been introduced in New Mexico.

House Bill 131 would require a post-session lobbying report due after the Legislature adjourns.

House Bill 140 would require periodic reports with estimated upcoming lobbying expenses for the year as well as actual previous expenses incurred.

Senate Bill 191 amends the current expenditure reporting threshold to include individual expenditures of less than $100 by lobbyists or the employer.

The New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office will be offering two lobbyist trainings on lobbyist registration, reporting requirements, and a segment on sexual harassment.

The trainings are voluntary and will be held on January 10, 2019, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and January 17, 2019, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

The Secretary of State has yet to release additional details on how to register.

New Mexico law states on the day after each general election, campaign contribution limits increase in accordance with a formula based on the consumer price index.

Starting November 7, the limits per election cycle are:

• From an individual (person or entity): $2,600 to a non-statewide candidate; $5,700 to a statewide candidate; and $5,700 to a PAC.
• From a PAC: $5,700 to a non-statewide candidate; $5,700 to a statewide candidate; and $5,700 to a PAC.

These limits do not apply to the candidate’s own personal contributions to the candidate’s campaign fund.

Democratic Congresswoman and former state health secretary Michelle Lujan Grisham won last night’s New Mexico gubernatorial election with 56.91 percent of the vote. Lujan Grisham became the first Democratic Latina governor, taking over a seat held by Republicans for two terms.

Lujan Grisham’s win will mark the first time a Democratic candidate has won the gubernatorial seat since 2002, according to Vox.

She focused her platform on an expansion of preschool education, lowering crime rates, economic expansion, and investments in solar and wind energy.

Lujan Grisham has an extensive political tenure—she is a three-term U.S. congresswoman currently serving New Mexico’s first district. Prior to her federal service, she served as cabinet secretary for three different New Mexico governors.

Upon taking office, her current U.S. seat will be filled by Debra Haaland.

New Mexico voters approved a constitutional amendment to Article 5 of the state’s constitution.

Constitutional Amendment 2 creates an independent ethics commission with jurisdiction to investigate, adjudicate and issue advisory opinions concerning civil violations of laws governing ethics, standards of conduct and reporting requirements.

The commission will have jurisdiction over state officers and employees of the executive and legislative branches, lobbyists, and seekers or holders of government contracts.

In order to be a functional commission the Legislature must pass laws granting the commission all of its powers and duties.

Earlier this year, New Mexico passed the Local Election Act, which consolidates various nonpartisan local elections into one election in November of odd-numbered years. The law’s main goal is to save taxpayer money and increase voter turnout.

However, local school districts are suffering. Albuquerque Public Schools are projecting $1 million in administrative costs to facilitate their upcoming bond election, because the new law states special elections must be completed by mail.

The Santa Fe School Board voted unanimously to ask the New Mexico School Boards Association and the other 88 school districts to request lawmakers amend the law and restore the School Election Law, allowing regular elections to resume in February, when they previously were held, or special elections by mail if needed.

The New Mexico Legislature adjourned sine die on February 15.

Bills that have passed both chambers include Senate Bill 50, which creates stricter contribution policies made via the internet by a credit card or a debit card to a candidate or PAC, and Senate Bill 67, which changes lobbying reports to also include the cumulative total of all individual expenditures of less than $100 made or incurred by the employer or lobbyist.

The governor has 20 days from adjournment to sign any bills passed by the Legislature, otherwise they are pocket vetoed.

The New Mexico Senate introduced Senate Bill 107, which states any lobbyist or lobbyist’s employer required to file an expenditure report must also file a report with the secretary of state within one week following the conclusion of a legislative session.

The post-session report must list the legislation the lobbyist or lobbyist’s employer lobbied, and whether the lobbyist or lobbyist’s employer supported or opposed each piece of legislation.

The bill is currently in the Senate Rules Committee.

Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced a plan to offer lobbyists the option to voluntarily sign up for and receive sexual harassment training prior to each legislative session.

Lobbyist registration forms will be amended to include a checkbox confirming a lobbyist has received the provided sexual harassment training.

Dates and logistics for the training have yet to be announced.

The Santa Fe City Council will hold a public hearing on a bill relating to campaign finance on December 13, 2017. The bill will remove public disclosure of independent expenditures for groups supporting or opposing ballot measures.

On January 10, 2018, the City Council will hold a public hearing on a bill regarding procurement. If adopted, the bill regarding procurement would adopt the New Mexico procurement code as the purchasing manual for Santa Fe.

Both bills are available at the Santa Fe, New Mexico website.

On September 8, 2017, Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver adopted campaign finance rules after three months of public hearings and reviews.

Oliver introduced the rules to clarify New Mexico’s Campaign Reporting Act (CRA) and bring the CRA into constitutional compliance.

Under the new rules, independent expenditure groups will be required to disclose their significant donors if they expend on any single political advertisement more than $2,500 for a statewide race or more than $1,000 on any non-statewide race.

The rules will be effective October 10, 2017, and are available at the secretary of state’s website.

After the first comment period ended on July 19, Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver has released a revised campaign finance rule draft.

One revision would require a person who makes independent expenditures of $3,000 or less in a non-statewide race to report identifying information on each person who contributes more than $200 in the previous 12 months, while statewide races would require spending of $7,500 or less for the same level of disclosure.

Interested individuals may submit official comments on the revised draft until 5:00 p.m. on August 29, 2017.

The final rule is expected to be completed this fall with an October 2017 effective date. The revised rule is available on the secretary of state website.

Sec. of State Maggie Toulouse is using her rulemaking authority over all persons, candidates, and committees covered by the Campaign Reporting Act by proposing a draft campaign finance rule.

Similar to Senate Bill 96, a bill vetoed by Gov. Susana Martinez after the 2017 regular session, the proposed rule requires groups spending more than $1,000 for political advertising to file a report detailing the expense and the name and address of each contributor of more than $200 in the previous 12 months earmarked or made in response to a solicitation. If passed, the rule will become effective October 3, 2017.

The notice and proposed rule are available at http://www.sos.state.nm.us/Elections_Data/notice-of-proposed-rulemaking.aspx.