NOTE:  As provided in LFC policy, this report is intended only for use by the standing finance committees of the legislature.  The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used for other purposes.

 

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F I S C A L   I M P A C T   R E P O R T

 

 

 

SPONSOR:

Hobbs

 

DATE TYPED:

3/10/03

 

HB

HCR 1/aHRC

 

SHORT TITLE:

Public Conference Committee Meetings

 

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST:

Chavez

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

 

 

NFI

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

LFC Files

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of HRC Amendment

 

The House Rules Committee Amendment provides that conference committee meetings may be closed to the public pursuant to the exceptions stated in Section 10-15-2 (B) NMSA 1978 or for good cause (See Section 10-15-2 (B) under the significant issues section).

 

     Synopsis of Original Bill

 

House Concurrent Resolution 1 amends Joint Rule 3-1 to allow conference committee meetings to be open to the public provided they may be closed to the public for good cause upon a vote of the committee.  The time and place of open conference committee meetings shall be announced on the public address system and posted at the speaker’s and the president pro tempore’s offices.

 

     Significant Issues

 

Currently, conference committee meetings are closed to the public.  Section 10-15-2 NMSA 1978 of the Open Meetings Act pertaining to meetings of the Legislature provides that:

 

            “A. All meetings of a quorum of members of any committee or policymaking body of the state legislature held for the purpose of discussing public business or for the purpose of taking any action within the authority of or the delegated authority of such committee or body are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times.

 

            B. The provisions of Subsection A of this section shall not apply to matters relating to personnel, or matters adjudicatory in nature, or any bill, resolution or other legislative matter not yet presented to either house of the legislature or general appropriation bills.

 

            C. For the purposes of this section, “meeting” means a gathering of the members called by the presiding officer of a standing committee.”

 

Currently, state law provides that meetings called by the presiding officers of standing committees be open to the public.  The law does not preclude the Legislature from adopting rules providing that meetings of committees other than standing committees be open to the public.

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

No appropriation is contained in this bill.

 

TECHNICAL ISSUES

 

For clarification purposes on page 2, line 8 the words “good cause” may be defined within set parameters.

 

FC/yr