The bill amends Section 2-6-1 of the New Mexico Statutes Annotated (NMSA) 1978, which governs the timeline for introducing legislation in the state legislature. It establishes that no legislation will be accepted for filing until after the start of the prohibited period for soliciting campaign contributions, as outlined in Section 1-19-34.1 NMSA 1978.

Significantly, the bill modifies the existing limitations on when bills can be introduced during legislative sessions. It removes the previous restrictions that prohibited the introduction of bills after the thirtieth legislative day in odd-numbered years and the fifteenth legislative day in even-numbered years. Instead, it stipulates that no bill may be introduced after the fifteenth day prior to the expiration of the session, as specified in Article 4, Section 5 of the New Mexico Constitution. However, this limitation does not apply to the general appropriation bill, bills for current government expenses, or those referred by the governor in a special message detailing the emergency or necessity for such legislation.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 2-6-1
JC substitute: 2-6-1