New Mexico Legislature

The State Legislature of New Mexico

La Legislatura de Nuevo México
The State Legislature of New Mexico ; La Legislatura de Nuevo México
Type
Type	Bicameral
Houses	Senate; House of Representatives
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 17, 2023
Leadership
President of the Senate; (Lt. Governor)	Howie Morales (D) ; since January 1, 2019
President pro tempore of the Senate	Mimi Stewart (D) ; since January 19, 2021
Speaker of the House	Javier Martínez (D) ; since January 17, 2023
Structure
Seats	112
Senate political groups	Democratic (27); Republican (15);
House political groups	Democratic (45); Republican (25);
Length of term	Senate: 4 years; House: 2 years
Salary	$0/year + per diem
State Senators	42
State Representatives	70
Elections
Senate voting system	First-past-the-post
House voting system	First-past-the-post
Last Senate election	November 3, 2020
Last House election	November 8, 2022
Next Senate election	November 5, 2024
Next House election	November 5, 2024
Redistricting	Legislative control
Motto
	Crescit eundo
Meeting place
	New Mexico State Capitol; Santa Fe
Website
	nmlegis.gov
Constitution
	Constitution of New Mexico

The New Mexico Legislature (Spanish: Legislatura de Nuevo México) is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate.

History

The New Mexico Legislature was established when New Mexico officially became a state and was admitted to the union in 1912. In 1922, Bertha M. Paxton became the first woman elected to the New Mexico Legislature, serving one term in the House of Representatives.^[1]

Session structure and operations

The Legislature meets every year, in regular session on the third Tuesday in January. The New Mexico Constitution limits the regular session to 60 calendar days, every other year it is 30 days.^[2] The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate, while the Speaker of the House is elected from that body in a closed-door majority-member caucus. Both have wide latitude in choosing committee membership in their respective houses and have a large impact on lawmaking in the state.

While only the Governor can call the Legislature into special sessions, the Legislature can call itself into an extraordinary session. There is no limit on the number of special sessions a governor can call. The New Mexico Constitution does not limit the duration of each special session; lawmakers may consider only those issues designated by the governor in the "call," or proclamation convening the special session (though other issues may be added by the Governor during a session).^[3]

Any bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor takes effect 90 days after its passage unless two-thirds of each house votes to give the bill immediate effect, earlier effect (before 90 day period), or later effect (after 90 day period).

Compensation

New Mexico does not pay its legislators a base salary. Legislators receive per diem of $165 for work at the capitol or committee hearings during January and February, going up to $194 during March.^[4]

Qualifications

The state constitution requires representatives to be at least twenty-one years old and senators to be at least twenty-five, and members of both houses must live in the districts they represent.^[5]

Districting

The legislature consists of 70 representatives and 42 senators. Each member of the House represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico. Each member of the Senate represents roughly 43,300 residents. Currently the Democratic Party holds a majority in both of the chambers of New Mexico Legislature, and holds the Governor's office.^[6]

Redistricting

In 2021, Senate Bill 304 established the Citizen Redistricting Committee. The committee is to develop three redistricting plans to recommend to the Legislature for each of the following: U.S. House of Representatives, New Mexico House of Representatives, New Mexico Senate, and any other state offices requiring redistricting. As of the summer of 2021, the latter consisted of only the New Mexico Public Education Commission. The Legislature is still free to make its own redistricting plans.^[7]

Term limits

Currently, there are no term limits for legislators. The longest current member of the legislature has served since 1972.^{[citation needed]} House members are elected every two years, while Senate members are elected every four years.^[8]

Party summary

State Senate

27 Democrats

15 Republicans

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of previous legislature	27	15	42	0

Jan 1, 2015 - Mar 14, 2015	25	17	42	0
Mar 14, 2015 - Apr 5, 2015	24	17	41	1
Apr 5, 2015 – Jan 17, 2017	24	18	42	0
Jan 17, 2017 – Jan 19, 2021	26	16	42	0
Jan 19, 2021 – present	27	15	42	0

House of Representatives

44 Democrats

24 Republicans

2 Independents

1 vacancy

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Ind	Republican		Vacant
51st legislature	38	0	32	70	0

52nd legislature	33	0	37	70	0

53rd legislature	38	0	32	70	0

54th legislature	46	1	23	70	0
55th legislature	43	2	24	69	1
56th legislature	45	0	25	70	0

History

Session	Years		House					Senate				Governor
Session	Years		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Governor
1st	1912–1914		49	16	30	3		24	7	16	1	William W. McDonald
2nd	1915-1916		49	14	33	2		24	7	16	1	William W. McDonald
3rd	1917-1918		49	19	30	-		24	10	14	-	Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca
3rd	1917-1918		49	19	30	-		24	10	14	-	Washington E. Lindsey
4th	1919-1920		49	15	34	-		24	9	15	-	Octaviano Larrazolo
5th	1921-1922		49	15	34	-		24	9	15	-	Merritt C. Mechem
6th	1923-1924		49	33	16	-		24	9	15	-	James F. Hinkle
7th	1925-1926		49	28	21	-		24	11	13	-	Arthur T. Hannett
8th	1927-1928		49	18	31	-		24	11	13	-	Richard C. Dillon
9th	1929-1930		49	12	37	-		24	6	18		Richard C. Dillon
10th	1931-1932		49	28	21	-		24	8	16	-	Arthur Seligman
11th	1933-1934		49	41	8	-		24	20	4	-	Arthur Seligman
11th	1933-1934		49	42	7	-		24	20	4	-	Andrew W. Hockenhull
12th	1935-1936		49	38	12	-		24	18	6	-	Clyde Tingley
13th	1937-1938		49	47	2	-		24	23	1	-	Clyde Tingley
14th	1939-1940		49	42	7	-		24	23	1	-	John E. Miles
15th	1941-1942		49	40	9	-		24	21	3	-	John E. Miles
16th	1943-1944		49	33	16	-		24	21	3	-	John J. Dempsey
17th	1945-1946		49	30	19	-		24	18	6	-	John J. Dempsey
18th	1947-1948		49	30	19	-		24	18	6	-	Thomas J. Mabry
19th	1949-1950		49	36	13	-		24	19	5	-	Thomas J. Mabry
Session	Years		House					Senate				Governor
Session	Years		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Governor
20th	1951-1952		55	46	9	-		24	18	6	-	Edwin L. Mechem
21st	1953-1954		55	27	28	-		31	22	9	-	Edwin L. Mechem
22nd	1955-1956		55	51	4	-		32	23	9	-	John F. Simms
23rd	1957-1958		66	43	23	-		32	24	8	-	Edwin L. Mechem
24th	1959-1960		66	60	6	-		32	24	8	-	John Burroughs
25th	1961-1962		66	59	7	-		32	28	4	-	Edwin L. Mechem
25th	1961-1962		66	59	7	-		32	28	4	-	Tom Bolack
26th	1963-1964		66	55	11	-		32	28	4	-	Jack M. Campbell
27th	1965-1966		77	59	18	-		32	28	4	-	Jack M. Campbell
28th	1967-1968		70	45	25	-		42	25	17	-	David F. Cargo
29th	1969-1970		70	44	26	-		42	25	17	-	David F. Cargo
30th	1971-1972		70	48	22	-		42	28	14	-	Bruce King
31st	1973-1974		70	51	19	-		42	30	12	-
31st	1973-1974		70	50	20	-		42	30	12	-
32nd	1975-1976		70	51	19	-		42	29	13	-	Jerry Apodaca
32nd	1975-1976		70	51	19	-		42	30	12	-
33rd	1977-1978		70	48	22	-		42	33	9	-
34th	1979-1980		70	41	29^[a]	-		42	33	9	-	Bruce King
34th	1979-1980		70	41	29^[a]	-		42	32	10	-
35th	1981-1982		70	41	29^[b]	-		42	22	20	-
35th	1981-1982		70	41	29^[b]	-		42	23	19	-
36th	1983-1984		70	46	24	-		42	23	19	-	Toney Anaya
36th	1983-1984		70	47	23	-		42	23	19	-
37th	1985-1986		70	43	27^[c]	-		42	21	21^[d]	-
								42	20	22	-
								42	20^[e]	22
38th	1987-1988		70	47	23	-		42	21^[f]	21	-	Garrey Carruthers
38th	1987-1988		70	46	24	-		42	21	21^[g]
39th	1989-1990		70	45	25	-		42	26	16	-
39th	1989-1990		70	45	25	-		42	25	17	-
Session	Years		House					Senate				Governor
Session	Years		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Governor
40th	1991-1992		70	49	21	-		42	26	16	-	Bruce King
41st	1993-1994		70	53	17	-		42	27	15	-	Bruce King
42nd	1995-1996		70	46	24	-		42	27	15	-	Gary Johnson
43rd	1997-1998		70	42	28	-		42	25	17	-
44th	1999-2000		70	40	30	-		42	25	17	-
45th	2001-2002		70	42	28	-		42	24	18^[h]	-
46th	2003-2004		70	43	27	-		42	24	18	-	Bill Richardson
47th	2005-2006	70	42	28	-	42	24	18	-
48th	2007-2008	70	42	28	-	42	24	18	-
49th	2009-2010	70	45	25	-	42	27	15^[i]	-
50th	2011-2012	70	36	33	1	42	27	15^[i]	-	Susana Martinez
51st	2013-2014	70	38	32	-	42	25	17	-
52nd	2015-2016	70	33	37	-	42	24	18	-
53rd	2017-2018	70	38	32	-	42	26	16	-
54th	2019-2020	70	46	24	-	42	26	16	-	Michelle Lujan Grisham
55th	2021-2022	70	44	24	2	42	27	15	-	Michelle Lujan Grisham
Session	Years	Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Governor
Session	Years	House				Senate				Governor

Notes

^ Coalition of 11 Democrats and 29 Republicans controlled the House Majority
^ Coalition of 10 Democrats and 27 Republicans controlled the House Majority
^ Coalition of 10 Democrats and 26 Republicans controlled the House Majority
^ Coalition of 4 Democrats and 21 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority until one of the Democrats switched parties in late 1985, giving the Republicans outright control
^ Coalition of 4 Republicans and 19 Democrats controlled the Senate Majority in the 37th Session's special legislative session in September 1986.
^ Coalition of 3 Republicans and 21 Democrats controlled the Senate Majority
^ Coalition of 5 Democrats and 18 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority beginning in January 1988
^ Coalition of 3 Democrats and 18 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority
^ ^a ^b Coalition of 8 Democrats and 15 Republicans controlled the Senate Majority