The Green Team at First Congregational UCC Albuquerque shared this helpful article in their February newsletter:
The New Mexico legislature is hard at work examining hundreds of bills. We will be affected by whatever is ultimately passed on to the governor for her signature as well as whatever is consigned to the legislative dustbin. Our news media simply can’t cover all the legislation—there’s too much! Is there a bill that you are passionate about? Take a good look at the website nmlegis.gov. You can learn a lot! For instance:
1. By clicking on “Legislators” just under the blue banner, you can find your senator and representative, their addresses and contact information, and the committees they serve on.
2. By clicking on “Legislation” you can find bills, read the text of the bill, and see what committees the bill has been referred to, when the committees will consider the bill, and what actions are taken on it.
3. By clicking on “Committees,” you can learn who serves on each committee, when they meet, and what the agenda for upcoming meetings will be.
4. By clicking on “Webcast,” you can watch the House, Senate, or committees live.
Keep in mind that for a bill to become law, it must be approved by two or three committees and by the full body in both the House and the Senate. If the bill has different language in each chamber, the text must be reconciled. And ultimately it must be signed by the governor. No wonder so many bills are worked on for years before becoming law.
For more information on bills that impact the environment, click here.