In a new conference held shortly after the end of the 2020 legislative session, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sounded interested in the possibility of paying legislators a standard salary for their work. New Mexico is currently the only state in the country that does not pay its state legislators a base salary, which many argue narrows the potential pool of candidates. “New Mexico needs to take a hard look,” the governor said. “We make it nearly impossible for people to serve. We make it impossible for them to do their work outside of the legislative session.”
The issue was addressed during the legislative session, but died before moving on to the senate floor for a vote. Senate Joint Resolution 7 called for the state’s ethics commission to do determine applicable salaries for elected officials and judges. Should it be passed, the measure would still have to be approved by voters as it would be an amendment to the state’s constitution. Read more HERE.