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House Judiciary leaders enforce 24-hour amendment rule, set schedule and communications for session
Summary
At an organizational meeting, Representative Christine Chandler, chair of the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee, outlined committee procedures including enforcement of a 24-hour rule for amendments, use of Citrix for documents, regular meeting days, and a plan for member text alerts.
Representative Christine Chandler, chair of the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee, opened the committee's organizational meeting and outlined administrative rules, communications plans and scheduling for the legislative session. She said members will use Citrix for agenda materials and analyses, the committee will meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons (with additional Saturday sessions as needed), and staff will assemble a members' text list for fast notices.
Why it matters: those processes determine how members and the public receive bill analyses, amendments and meeting materials, and the committee's enforcement of posting rules can affect transparency and preparation time for lawmakers and observers.
Committee procedure and communications: Chandler told members the committee analysis, majority and minority partisan analyses and certain agency reports are distributed through Citrix in advance of hearings. She said staff will compile committee member phone numbers to form a group text aimed at quickly notifying members about schedule changes or late information. The committee's regular meeting days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons, with the expectation of occasional Saturday meetings if workload requires it. Chandler also announced a committee dinner scheduled for Jan. 29 at 6 p.m.; location details will be circulated later.
24-hour amendment posting rule: Representative Matthew McQueen said a rule passed by the Legislature several years ago — requiring that committee amendments or committee substitutes be made available to members at least 24 hours in advance — will be enforced in this session. McQueen said the rule was not enforced in the last session because of objections from the council service but that those objections have been resolved and the practice will resume. Chandler confirmed the committee requests proposed amendments come to staff at least 24 hours before a hearing so they can be processed and distributed.
Staff roles and access: Committee staff roles were described: a nonpartisan committee analyst will produce the neutral committee analysis, while each party may provide its own partisan analysis. Karen Romero was introduced as a committee assistant and other support staff and attendants were identified. Chandler emphasized the committee's intent to provide information to members in a timely, even-handed way and asked members to report if they believe information is not being shared equitably.
The meeting closed with an invitation for members to raise questions about procedure. Chandler said the committee will follow the stated administrative practices and that members should monitor Citrix and the forthcoming text group for timely notices.
