SENATE BILL 61

55th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2022

INTRODUCED BY

Jeff Steinborn

AN ACT

RELATING TO LOBBYING; REQUIRING POST-SESSION REPORTS ON WHAT LEGISLATION A LOBBYIST OR LOBBYIST'S EMPLOYER LOBBIED; AMENDING SECTION 2-11-7 NMSA 1978 (BEING LAWS 1977, CHAPTER 261, SECTION 7, AS AMENDED).

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. A new section of the Lobbyist Regulation Act is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] LOBBYING REPORT.--Prior to the adjournment of a legislative session, a lobbyist or lobbyist's employer that is required to file an expenditure report pursuant to Section 2-11-6 NMSA 1978 or registration statement pursuant to Section 2-11-3 NMSA 1978 shall file a report or reports with the secretary of state disclosing the lobbyist's or lobbyist's employer's lobbying activity on legislation and identifying the specific legislation lobbied, the support, opposition or other position taken on the legislation by the lobbyist or lobbyist's employer and the name of the lobbyist's employer that lobbied on the legislation, either directly or by the registered lobbyist. A lobbyist is only required to report the lobbyist's lobbying activity on a piece of legislation one time. Reported lobbying activity shall include any lobbying on the development of legislation prior to its introduction in a legislative session. If a lobbyist or lobbyist's employer commences lobbying on legislation after the adjournment of a legislative session, a lobbying report shall be filed prior to the end of the time period in which the governor may act on legislation. The report shall be filed at a time and in an electronic format as prescribed by rule of the secretary of state."

     SECTION 2. Section 2-11-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1977, Chapter 261, Section 7, as amended) is amended to read:

     "2-11-7. REGISTRATION, [AND] EXPENDITURE [REPORT] AND LOBBYING REPORT--PRESERVATION AS PUBLIC RECORD--ONLINE REPORTS.--

          A. Each registration, [and] expenditure and lobbying report as required by the Lobbyist Regulation Act shall be archived and accessible on the secretary of state's lobbyist disclosure website for a period of at least ten years from the date of filing as a public record, open to public inspection at any reasonable time. Unless an action or prosecution is pending that requires preserving the report, it may be destroyed ten years after the date of filing.

          B. Lobbyist [registrations and] registration, expenditure and lobbying reports shall be kept and maintained on the secretary of state's lobbyist disclosure website and shall be available in searchable and downloadable formats.

          C. With respect to the secretary of state's lobbyist disclosure website, all items in the records shall be easily searchable, sortable and downloadable by the public to the extent technically practicable.

          D. The secretary of state shall ensure that contributions reported by persons pursuant to the Lobbyist Regulation Act are reported in a manner that is nonduplicative and as consistent as practicable with the reporting requirements of the Campaign Reporting Act. To the extent possible, the electronic reporting system used for registration and reporting required by the Lobbyist Regulation Act shall be integrated with the electronic reporting system used for compliance with the Campaign Reporting Act.

          E. Reporting individuals under the Campaign Reporting Act shall receive automatic electronic notice of the contributions to them reported by lobbyists and lobbyists' employers within twenty-four hours of the filing of each expenditure report."

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