Zooming into the Legislature
The Legislature’s pandemic-era move to Zoom for its committee meetings this year is getting mixed reviews. The online meetings have an obvious upside — people from around New Mexico can testify on bills without having to travel to Santa Fe and materials presented to lawmakers can be displayed for all to see.
The negatives include that not everyone has access to the internet or a computer, and many may not be comfortable using Zoom. Technical glitches can also shut down proceedings. And lawmakers don’t have face-to-face interaction with members of the public who want to have a say.
Three Republican lawmakers have filed a lawsuit maintaining the whole idea of a virtual legislative session is unconstitutional, in part because those without internet or phone service have no way to participate.
There is one aspect of the New Mexico Legislature, though, where Zoom meetings definitely should be seen as a breakthrough.
The Legislature’s committee scheduling can often be a mess and make it difficult, if not impossible, for many citizens to participate.
One example is that House and Senate committees typically list numerous bills on their meeting agendas, but being on the agenda by no means guarantees that a bill will be heard. The committee may plow through as many bills as it can and run out of time before all the measures are considered. Or a bill can be pulled from consideration or held back for any number of often-unspecified reasons.
Many Roundhouse regulars — legislators themselves, lobbyists and advocates who follow legislation closely — may have a good idea of what bills might actually be heard on any given day.
But, pre-Zoom, if an interested citizen checked an online committee agenda and decided to drive to the Roundhouse from Taos, Farmington or Roswell to testify or just watch democracy work its magic on a particular issue, there was a real chance that the trip would be a waste of time.
And there could be no telling when a committee meeting might actually start. In the past, afternoon meetings were scheduled to take place soon after full House or Senate floor sessions ended. That might be at 2 p.m., or it could be at 5 p.m., or later. Agendas can be changed as the day of the meeting nears. At crunch time, in a legislative session’s last few days, committee meetings might take place at just about any time, round the clock.
Again, this system can be OK for those close to the proceedings and dedicating long days to legislative work, but not so much for the average New Mexican who wants to testify.
It’s not like this everywhere. Other state legislatures have much more organized schedules, with less crowded agendas and assurances that if something is on the agenda, it will be heard.
Official explanations for why the New Mexico Legislature schedule can be so vague typically have to do with the fact that our legislative sessions are limited to 30 or 60 days, depending on the year. Legislatures in other states can go longer, even indefinitely, to finish their work, allowing for more relaxed scheduling. Some cynics believe the lack of clarity is a nefarious way for legislative leadership to control outcomes. But the best theory is that New Mexico does it this way just because New Mexico has always done it this way.
So, even post-COVID, the Legislature should continue to offer Zoom access to committee meetings, and efforts should be undertaken to make it as easy and as reliable as possible.
Following a bill would still require a time commitment, but you could do the dishes, watch the kids or work from home while waiting to see if your bill would really be heard.
Zoom should never totally replace in-person public participation. But, given the way the Legislature has historically operated, it’s a great tool to make it easier for everyone to be part of the legislative process.