Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse OliverSTATE News:
SANTA FE ― Wednesday, the New Mexico State Senate passed an important bill on the Senate floor that will improve transparency in our campaign finance system.
Senate Bill 3 passed the Senate today 36-6 and, if it becomes law, will create clearer and more robust reporting requirements for money spent trying to influence our elections in New Mexico.
“In the post-Citizens United era when bigger and bigger amounts of money are being spent to influence our elections, New Mexicans deserve the strongest and most transparent campaign finance system possible. Senate Bill 3 represents a major step forward on transparency and accountability in campaign finance reporting. I’m proud to have worked with Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth on this version of the bill and I want to thank him for his tireless, multi-year effort to improve our campaign finance system,” Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said.
The bill is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth and is a priority for Secretary Toulouse Oliver in this legislative session. It now moves on to the New Mexico House of Representatives for consideration.
Senate Bill 3 revises the Campaign Reporting Act (CRA) to provide clear guidance to individuals and entities who report campaign finance expenditures to the Secretary of State’s Office, in addition to fixing an unconstitutional provision in the CRA and defining terms like “independent expenditures.” Senator Wirth has sponsored similar versions of this bill in previous legislative sessions, most recently in 2017 when his Senate Bill 96 passed the Senate 36-6, passed the House 41-24, and was vetoed by then-Governor Susana Martinez.
