Senators express concerns about ethics commission

SANTA FE — A renewed attempt to establish an independent New Mexico ethics commission passed the House of Representatives on Thursday without a single “no” vote and on a wave of bipartisan goodwill.

However, old concerns in the Senate, where the proposal is now pending, appear to suggest turbulence ahead on what has been a long-debated issue.

Two members of the Senate Rules Committee expressed reservations Friday about the ethics commission measure, though they said they haven’t made up their minds to vote against it.

Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, the committee’s chairwoman, said she intends to hold a hearing on the measure before the Legislature adjourns March 18, but said it would not happen until Monday at the earliest.

She also said she and other committee members are not fully on board with the idea of enshrining the ethics commission in the state Constitution, which the House-approved plan would do.

“The comments made last year by the committee were it doesn’t really need to be in the Constitution,” Lopez told the Journal.

Rep. Jim Dines, R-Albuquerque, the primary sponsor of House Joint Resolution 8, has insisted the ethics commission should be put into the Constitution, just like the state Judicial Standards Commission.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, said he hasn’t discussed the measure with Dines, but he expressed concern about false ethics allegations being made public.

“I think we have handled our ethics in a really good way,” Ingle said in an interview.

He also said that he believes it’s already difficult to get qualified candidates to run for elected office in New Mexico and that establishing an ethics commission could make it even harder.

New Mexico is one of only eight states without an independent ethics commission, but it’s also the only state that does not pay salaries to legislators.

The ethics commission proposal that passed the House on a 66-0 vote this week calls for a sevenmember board empowered to investigate allegations of misconduct against elected officials, candidates, state employees, lobbyists, contractors and others. It could also issue advisory opinions on how to handle ethical questions.

The commission would also have power to issue subpoenas to obtain documents and require witnesses to attend hearings. Its members would be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders.

If approved by a majority of those elected to the full Senate, it would go before voters statewide in November 2018.