SENATE BILL 529

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

David Ulibarri

AN ACT

RELATING TO THE LEGISLATURE; CREATING THE INTERIM MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. CREATION OF INTERIM MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE--MEMBERS--APPOINTMENT--TERMS--VOTING.--

          A. There is created a joint interim committee of the legislature to be called the "military and veterans' affairs committee". The committee shall function from the date of its appointment until the second session of the forty-ninth legislature. The committee shall be composed of eight voting members.

          B. The New Mexico legislative council shall appoint four members from the house of representatives and four members from the senate. At the time of making the appointment, the New Mexico legislative council shall designate the chair and vice chair of the committee. Members shall be appointed so as to give the two major political parties in each house the same proportionate representation on the committee as prevails in each house; provided that in no event shall either of the parties have less than one member from each house on the committee.

          C. Vacancies on the committee shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as the original appointments. Members may be removed from the committee by the New Mexico legislative council, at the request of the committee chair, for nonattendance according to legislative council policy. If a regular member is going to be absent from a committee meeting, the regular member may designate a legislator from the same house and party to serve in the voting member's place at the meeting if the member notifies the chair of the committee of the anticipated absence and notifies the designee at least twenty-four hours before the committee meeting. The voting member shall select the designee from a list of potential designees appointed by the appointing authority for each house. The list shall be maintained in the offices of the legislative council service.

          D. No action shall be taken by the committee if a majority of the total membership from either house on the committee rejects such action.

     Section 2. DUTIES OF THE MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS COMMITTEE--STAFF--SUBCOMMITTEES--REPORTING.--

          A. The military and veterans' affairs committee shall oversee the veterans' services department, shall conduct meetings in several geographically dispersed areas of the state and shall conduct a continuing study of the programs, agencies, policies and issues relating to military issues, veterans and veterans' services throughout the state, including review and study of the statutes, constitutional provisions, regulations and court decisions governing these programs, agencies, policies and issues. The committee shall make an annual report of its findings and recommendations and recommend any necessary legislation to each session of the legislature. The committee shall also make legislative recommendations to the federal congress and regulatory recommendations to the United States department of veterans affairs and the United States department of defense.

          B. The staff for the committee shall be provided by the legislative council service.

          C. Subcommittees shall be created only by majority vote of all members appointed to the committee and with the prior approval of the New Mexico legislative council. A subcommittee shall be composed of at least one member from the senate and one member from the house of representatives, and at least one member of the minority party shall be a member of the subcommittee. All meetings and expenditures of a subcommittee shall be approved by the full committee in advance of the meeting or expenditure, and the approval shall be shown in the minutes of the committee.

          D. The committee shall make a report of its findings and recommendations for the consideration of each session of the legislature. The report and suggested legislation shall be made available to the New Mexico legislative council on or before December 15 preceding each session.

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