0001| SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 58 | 0002| 43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| TIMOTHY Z. JENNINGS | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL | 0011| REQUESTING THAT NEW MEXICO'S MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES REVIEW | 0012| POLITICAL CAMPAIGN PRACTICES AND CONSIDER CREATING A JOINT | 0013| COMMISSION OR OTHER OVERSIGHT MECHANISM TO VOLUNTARILY REGULATE | 0014| MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY CANDIDATES AND TO DISCOURAGE NEGATIVE | 0015| CAMPAIGN PRACTICES. | 0016| | 0017| WHEREAS, electoral campaigns in New Mexico and throughout | 0018| the nation have been subjected to unacceptable levels of | 0019| negativism, attack advertising and other practices that demean | 0020| representative democracy; and | 0021| WHEREAS, negative campaigns are directly related to | 0022| cynicism, alienation and low participation rates among New | 0023| Mexico voters; and | 0024| WHEREAS, political candidates and the parties they | 0025| represent should be responsible for fair and ethical practices | 0001| by or on behalf of their campaigns; and | 0002| WHEREAS, New Mexico's major political parties are in an | 0003| excellent position to create an independent process to oversee | 0004| and voluntarily regulate campaign practices of the parties and | 0005| party candidates; and | 0006| WHEREAS, such a review process could involve a mechanism | 0007| made up of representatives from the major political parties; | 0008| and | 0009| WHEREAS, such a review process should result in a code of | 0010| conduct to outline acceptable standards of fairness, honesty | 0011| and responsibility for candidates; and | 0012| WHEREAS, all political parties and their candidates should | 0013| be requested and encouraged to sign and adhere to such a | 0014| campaign practices code of conduct; and | 0015| WHEREAS, the major political parties should encourage | 0016| voluntary compliance with the provisions of a code of conduct | 0017| by withholding party funding if it is determined, by a jointly | 0018| established review mechanism, that the letter or the spirit of | 0019| a provision of the code was violated; and | 0020| WHEREAS, an established mechanism could also operate as a | 0021| filter to review and reduce negative, misleading or unethical | 0022| campaign advertising by reviewing campaign literature or | 0023| advertisements submitted voluntarily by candidates or | 0024| organizations, especially those distributed during the last two | 0025| weeks of a campaign, prior to their release to the public; | 0001| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE | 0002| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the major political parties in New | 0003| Mexico be requested and strongly urged to review options, | 0004| including the possible establishment of an independent campaign | 0005| practices commission, to voluntarily regulate campaign | 0006| practices, literature and advertisements in New Mexico | 0007| political campaigns; and | 0008| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the major political parties or | 0009| a joint campaign practices commission or other oversight body | 0010| should develop and disseminate a code of conduct for New Mexico | 0011| political candidates, and request that each major political | 0012| party and political candidate sign and abide by that code of | 0013| conduct; and | 0014| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the major political parties or | 0015| any joint campaign practices commission or other oversight body | 0016| that is created should hold frequent meetings during political | 0017| campaigns to review the campaign practices of candidates who | 0018| have signed a code of conduct; and | 0019| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the major political parties | 0020| consider among the incentives they create for adhering to a | 0021| campaign practices code of conduct the withdrawal of party | 0022| funding for candidates who violate the code; and | 0023| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be | 0024| sent to the chairpersons of each of New Mexico's major | 0025| political parties. | 0001| | 0002| FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE | 0003| FIRST SESSION, 1997 | 0004| | 0005| | 0006| March 16, 1997 | 0007| | 0008| Mr. President: | 0009| | 0010| Your PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, to whom has been | 0011| referred | 0012| | 0013| SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 58 | 0014| | 0015| has had it under consideration and reports same with | 0016| recommendation that it DO PASS. | 0017| | 0018| Respectfully submitted, | 0019| | 0020| | 0021| | 0022| | 0023| __________________________________ | 0024| Shannon Robinson, Chairman | 0025| | 0001| | 0002| | 0003| Adopted_______________________ Not | 0004| Adopted_______________________ | 0005| (Chief Clerk) (Chief Clerk) | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| Date ________________________ | 0009| | 0010| | 0011| The roll call vote was 6 For 0 Against | 0012| Yes: 6 | 0013| No: 0 | 0014| Excused: Adair, Boitano, Vernon | 0015| Absent: None | 0016| | 0017| | 0018| | 0019| | 0020| SJ058PA1 State of New Mexico | 0021| House of Representatives | 0022| | 0023| FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE | 0024| FIRST SESSION, 1997 | 0025| | 0001| | 0002| March 20, 1997 | 0003| | 0004| | 0005| Mr. Speaker: | 0006| | 0007| Your VOTERS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE, to whom has | 0008| been referred | 0009| | 0010| SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 58 | 0011| | 0012| has had it under consideration and reports same with | 0013| recommendation that it DO PASS. | 0014| | 0015| Respectfully submitted, | 0016| | 0017| | 0018| | 0019| | 0020| Edward C. Sandoval, Chairman | 0021| | 0022| | 0023| Adopted Not Adopted | 0024| | 0025| (Chief Clerk) (Chief Clerk) | 0001| | 0002| Date | 0003| | 0004| The roll call vote was 7 For 0 Against | 0005| Yes: 7 | 0006| Excused: Buffett, Lujan, Madalena, Nicely, Sanchez | 0007| Absent: None | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| G:\BILLTEXT\BILLW_97\SJ058 |