Legislative Update
In the first three weeks, we’ve seen 900 bills introduced so far. Over the course of the entire session, 2500-3000 bills will be introduced in total. Many bills are making their way through their respective committees and across the chamber, while some are even making it to the Governor’s desk. This progress may seem like everything is going smoothly, but many people have concerns about whether they have enough time to properly vet each bill.
How Viante Plans to Assess Bills
Viante looks at every piece of legislation that is introduced to see if it touches on any one of our common ground areas – education, crime and quality of life. Viante’s Executive Director goes to various committee meetings for the bills that pertain to our common ground areas, and she takes detailed notes during the committee hearings. We record the pros and cons from parties that are for and against each piece of legislation and why the sponsor felt like it was necessary to bring the bill forward in the first place.
Creating a Well-Rounded Understanding of Each Bill
The process is fascinating. You hear first-hand from individuals who talk about how each bill would have an impact on their business or families. While the bill may seem terrific on paper, the conversation helps build on the complexity of an issue and bring things to light that may not have been previously thought about. Being able to hear a variety of perspectives helps the conversation become well-rounded in order to better understand the potential impacts the bill may have.
Viante’s Bill Selection Process
Viante’s Executive Director then takes these notes back to our non-partisan Board of Directors who will select a total of 15 bills after the session that will have a positive impact on New Mexico that will help us find a way forward. We choose 5 bills for crime, 5 bills for education and 5 for quality of life. Read more about Viante’s process and methodology for selecting the final 15 bills.
If you’d like more updates about what is going on in the roundhouse during this legislative session and you want to stay in the know about bills that would affect crime, education and quality of life, then join our mailing list for weekly updates. You can also follow Viante on social media for regular updates as well.
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