New Mexico State Senate

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New Mexico State Senate
SLP-Infobox Image-Color.png
General Information
Party control:   Democrat
Session start:   January 16, 2024
Session end:   February 15, 2024
Term length:   4 years
Term limits:   None
Redistricting:  Legislature-dominant
Salary:   $0/year + per diem
Members
Total:  42
Democrats:  27
Republicans:  14
Other:  0 (independent)
Vacancies:  1
Leadership
President:   Howie Morales (D)
Maj. Leader:   Peter Wirth (D)
Min. Leader:   Gregory A. Baca (R)
Elections
Last election:  November 3, 2020
Next election:  November 5, 2024

The New Mexico State Senate is the upper chamber of the New Mexico State Legislature. Alongside the New Mexico House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the New Mexico state government and works alongside the governor of New Mexico to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the New Mexico State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New Mexico State Senate meets in the state capitol building in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

  • All 42 seats in the New Mexico State Senate are up for election in 2024.
  • All 42 seats in the state Senate were up for election in 2020. The chamber's Democratic majority increased from 26-16 to 27-15. Click to read more »
  • New Mexico has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

  • This page contains the following information on the New Mexico State Senate.

    Party control

    Current partisan control

    The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the New Mexico State Senate as of January 2024:

    Party As of January 2024
         Democratic Party 27
         Republican Party 14
         Independent 0
         Vacancies 1
    Total 42

    Members

    Leadership

    The lieutenant governor of New Mexico is the presiding officer of the Senate and in that capacity is referred to as president of the Senate. However, the lieutenant governor can only vote in the case of a tie. The Senate Committees' Committee exercises leadership and administrative control of the Senate. The committee is chaired by the president pro tempore and is made up of majority and minority leaders.[1][2]

    Leadership and members


    Office Name Party Date assumed office
    New Mexico State Senate District 1 William Sharer Republican 2001
    New Mexico State Senate District 2 Steven Neville Republican 2005
    New Mexico State Senate District 3 Shannon Pinto Democratic July 25, 2019
    New Mexico State Senate District 4 George Munoz Democratic 2009
    New Mexico State Senate District 5 Leo Jaramillo Democratic January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 6 Roberto Gonzales Democratic December 20, 2019
    New Mexico State Senate District 7 Pat Woods Republican 2012
    New Mexico State Senate District 8 Pete Campos Democratic 1991
    New Mexico State Senate District 9 Brenda McKenna Democratic January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 10 Katy Duhigg Democratic January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 11 Linda Lopez Democratic 1997
    New Mexico State Senate District 12 Jerry Ortiz y Pino Democratic 2005
    New Mexico State Senate District 13 William O'Neill Democratic 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 14 Michael Padilla Democratic 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 15 Daniel Ivey-Soto Democratic 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 16 Antoinette Sedillo Lopez Democratic January 14, 2019
    New Mexico State Senate District 17 Mimi Stewart Democratic 2015
    New Mexico State Senate District 18 Bill Tallman Democratic 2017
    New Mexico State Senate District 19 Gregg Schmedes Republican January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 20 Martin Hickey Democratic January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 21 Mark Moores Republican 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 22 Benny Shendo Democratic 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 23 Harold Pope Jr. Democratic January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 24 Nancy Rodriguez Democratic 1997
    New Mexico State Senate District 25 Peter Wirth Democratic 2009
    New Mexico State Senate District 26 Antonio Maestas Democratic November 16, 2022
    New Mexico State Senate District 27 Vacant
    New Mexico State Senate District 28 Siah Correa Hemphill Democratic December 29, 2020
    New Mexico State Senate District 29 Gregory Baca Republican 2017
    New Mexico State Senate District 30 Joshua A. Sanchez Republican January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 31 Joseph Cervantes Democratic 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 32 Cliff R. Pirtle Republican 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 33 Bill Burt Republican 2011
    New Mexico State Senate District 34 Ron Griggs Republican 2012
    New Mexico State Senate District 35 Crystal Diamond Republican January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 36 Jeff Steinborn Democratic 2017
    New Mexico State Senate District 37 William P. Soules Democratic January 1, 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 38 Carrie Hamblen Democratic January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 39 Liz Stefanics Democratic 2017
    New Mexico State Senate District 40 Craig W. Brandt Republican 2013
    New Mexico State Senate District 41 David M. Gallegos Republican January 1, 2021
    New Mexico State Senate District 42 Steve McCutcheon Republican September 15, 2023


    Salaries

    See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
    State legislative salaries, 2023
    SalaryPer diem
    $0/year$59/day

    Swearing in dates

    See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

    New Mexico legislators assume office ​on the first day of January after a general election.[3]

    Membership qualifications

    See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

    Article 4, Section 3 of the New Mexico Constitution states:

    Senators shall not be less than twenty-five years of age and representatives not less than twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. If any senator or representative permanently removes his residence from or maintains no residence in the district from which he was elected, then he shall be deemed to have resigned and his successor shall be selected as provided in Section 4 of this article. No person shall be eligible to serve in the legislature who, at the time of qualifying, holds any office of trust or profit with the state, county or national governments, except notaries public and officers of the militia who receive no salary.[4][5]

    Historical party control

    Democrats won control of the New Mexico State Senate in 1988. In 2020, they won a 27-15 majority.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the New Mexico Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    New Mexico State Senate election results: 1992-2020

    Party 92 96 00 04 08 12 16 20
    Democrats 27 25 24 23 27 25 26 27
    Republicans 15 17 18 19 15 17 16 15

    Trifecta history

    A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, New Mexico was under the following types of trifecta control:

    • Democratic trifecta: 1992-1994, 2003-2010, 2019-2023
    • Republican trifecta: None
    • Divided government: 1995-2002, 2011-2018

    New Mexico Party Control: 1992-2024
    Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D D D D D

    Elections

    Elections by year

    New Mexico state senators serve four-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. New Mexico holds elections for its legislature in even years.

    2024

    See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2024

    Elections for the New Mexico State Senate will take place in 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024. A primary is June 4, 2024. The filing deadline for candidates seeking pre-primary designation is February 6, 2024. All other candidates must file by March 12, 2024.

    2020

    See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2020

    Elections for the office of New Mexico State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020. The filing deadline was March 10, 2020.

    Heading into the election, Democrats held a 26-16 majority. Democrats gained a net one seat from Republicans, expanding their majority to 27-15.

    New Mexico State Senate
    Party As of November 3, 2020 After November 4, 2020
         Democratic Party 26 27
         Republican Party 16 15
    Total 42 42


    2016

    See also: New Mexico State Senate elections, 2016

    Elections for the New Mexico State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was March 8, 2016. All 42 seats in the New Mexico State Senate were up for election in 2016.

    The New Mexico State Senate was one of 20 battleground chambers in 2016. Democrats gained a 26-16 majority as a result of the 2016 elections.

    New Mexico State Senate
    Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
         Democratic Party 24 26
         Republican Party 18 16
    Total 42 42

    Vacancies

    See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

    If there is a vacancy in the New Mexico State Legislature, the board of county commissioners is responsible for filling the vacancy. There are no deadlines set by Article IV, Section 4 of the New Mexico Constitution, which governs legislative vacancies. If the legislative district spans more than one county, the boards of county commissioners each submit one name to the governor, who appoints a candidate from the list.[10] The appointed replacement serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[11]

    DocumentIcon.jpg See sources: New Mexico Const. Art. 4, Sec. 4

    District map

    See also: New Mexico state legislative districts

    The state of New Mexico has 112 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 42 districts and the state House has 70 districts.

    Use the interactive map below to find your district.



    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in New Mexico

    In New Mexico, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[12]

    State statutes require that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. Redistricting guidelines adopted in 2011 suggest that congressional and state legislative districts meet the following criteria:[12]

    1. All districts should be "reasonably compact."
    2. Districts should "not split voting precincts."
    3. Districts should "attempt to preserve communities of interest and take into consideration political and geographic boundaries."

    These guidelines are nonbinding and may be altered by the legislature at its discretion.[12]

    On April 6, 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed SB304 into law, forming a seven-member advisory redistricting commission. The legislation bars public officials, candidates, political party officeholders, federal legislative or state employees, and the relatives of federal or state officeholders from serving on the commission. The commission's proposals do not bind the state legislature, which retains the authority to adopt, amend, or discard the proposals as it sees fit.[13]

    2020

    See also: Redistricting in New Mexico after the 2020 census

    Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a new state House map into law on December 29, 2021, and a new state Senate map on January 6, 2022. These maps took effect for New Mexico's 2022 legislative elections. The state House approved the House map bill 43-23 on December 10, 2021, and the state Senate approved the bill 24-13 on December 16, 2021.[14] The state Senate approved the Senate map 25-13 on December 16, and the state House approved the map 38-22 on December 17.[15]

    District map after 2020 redistricting

    Click here to view the map. This map took effect for New Mexico's 2022 legislative elections.

    2010

    See also: Redistricting in New Mexico after the 2010 census

    New Mexico received its local census data on March 15, 2011, the state grew 13.2 percent from 2000 to 2010. All of its most populous cities grew: Albuquerque grew by 21.7 percent, Las Cruces grew by 31.4 percent, Rio Rancho grew by 69.1 percent, Santa Fe grew by 9.2 percent, and Roswell grew by 6.8 percent.[16]

    At the time of redistricting, Democrats controlled the Legislature while Governor Susana Martinez was a Republican. The interim committee reviewed eight House maps and nine Senate maps before the special redistricting session of the Legislature began on September 6, 2011. On September 21, the Senate passed a map on party lines, with the House following the next day. Governor Martinez (R) vetoed the maps on October 7, and the issue was sent to the New Mexico Supreme Court where a new map was adopted on January 16, 2012.[17][18]

    Sessions

    Legislation

    The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New Mexico State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

    Dates of legislative sessions in New Mexico by year

    2024

    See also: 2024 New Mexico legislative session and Dates of 2024 state legislative sessions

    In 2024, the legislature is scheduled to convene on January 16, 2024, and adjourn on February 15, 2024.

    2023

    See also: 2023 New Mexico legislative session and Dates of 2023 state legislative sessions

    In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 17, 2023, and adjourn on March 18, 2023.



    About legislative sessions in New Mexico

    The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.[29] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

    Article IV of the New Mexico Constitution establishes when the New Mexico State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to be in session. Section 5 of Article IV states that the Legislature is to convene its annual regular session on the third Tuesday of January. In odd-numbered years, the Legislature is to be in session for no longer than sixty days. In even-numbered years, the Legislature is to be in session for no longer than thirty days. In even-numbered years, the Legislature is limited to dealing with budgetary matters, bills that deal with issues raised by special messages of the Governor of New Mexico, and bills vetoed in the previous session by the Governor.

    Section 6 of Article IV allows the Governor of New Mexico to call special sessions of the Legislature. Section 6 also allows the Legislature to meet in special session when three-fifths of each house petition the Governor with a request for a special session. Special sessions are not to exceed thirty days in length.

    Legislative roles and procedures

    Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

    Veto overrides

    Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

    See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

    State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New Mexico are listed below.

    How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

    Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 47 of the 70 members in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 28 of the 42 members in the New Mexico State Senate. New Mexico is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

    How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

    Vetoes can be overridden in a special session or when the next regular session convenes, even if an election has occurred. Two-thirds of members in both chambers must agree to call for a special session.[30]

    Authority: Article IV, Section 22 of the New Mexico Constitution.

    "Every bill passed by the legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor for approval. If he approves, he shall sign it, and deposit it with the secretary of state; otherwise, he shall return it to the house in which it originated, with his objections, which shall be entered at large upon the journal; and such bill shall not become a law unless thereafter approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting in each house by yea and nay vote entered upon its journal."

    Role in state budget

    See also: New Mexico state budget and finances
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    BudgetsCivil libertiesEducationElectionsEnergyEnvironmentHealthcarePensions

    New Mexico operates on an annual budget cycle, with each fiscal year beginning in July. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[31]

    1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies by June 15.
    2. State agencies submit their budget requests by September 1.
    3. Public hearings are held from September through December.
    4. The governor submits his or her budget proposal to the New Mexico State Legislature on January 5 or January 10.
    5. The legislature adopts a budget in February or March. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.

    New Mexico is one of 43 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[31]

    The governor is statutorily required to submit a balanced budget. Likewise, the legislature is statutorily required to pass a balanced budget.[31]

    Committees

    See also: List of committees in New Mexico state government

    Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

    • Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
    • Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
    • Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

    Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New Mexico State Senate has nine standing committees:


    Constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods in which the New Mexico Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article XIX of the New Mexico Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in New Mexico

    The New Mexico Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a legislative process and a state constitutional convention.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the New Mexico State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 36 votes in the New Mexico House of Representatives and 22 votes in the New Mexico State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session of the state legislature to place a constitutional convention question on the ballot. A convention is held if the question receives a simple majority of the vote. Voters must also ratify amendments proposed by the convention.



    2025 measures:

    See also: 2025 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

    No measures to list


    Potential:

    The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2025.

    No measures to list

    2024 measures:

    Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2024 ballot by the legislature or that have made it approximately halfway through the process in the legislature for referral to the ballot in 2024.

    See also: New Mexico 2024 ballot measures

    Certified:

    The following measures have been certified for the ballot.
    New Mexico Increase Veteran Property Tax Exemption AmendmentDemocratsRepublicans
    Senate:Required: 22Yes votes: 38 (90.5%)No votes: 0 (0.0%)Yes: 23; No: 0Yes: 15; No: 0
    House:Required: 36Yes votes: 68 (97.14%)No votes: 0 (0.00%)Yes: 43; No: 0Yes: 25; No: 0
    New Mexico Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption AmendmentDemocratsRepublicans
    Senate:Required: 22Yes votes: 39 (92.9%)No votes: 0 (0.0%)Yes: 25; No: 0Yes: 14; No: 0
    House:Required: 36Yes votes: 67 (95.71%)No votes: 0 (0.00%)Yes: 43; No: 0Yes: 24; No: 0


    Potential:

    The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2024.

    No measures to list

    See also

    Elections New Mexico State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. New Mexico Legislature "New Mexico Legislative Handbook - Pg. 8 "Organization," accessed August 12, 2014
    2. New Mexico Legislature, "New Mexico Senate Leadership," accessed August 12, 2014
    3. New Mexico Constitution, "Article IV, Section 4, accessed November 1, 2021
    4. New Mexico Secretary of State, "New Mexico Constitution," accessed February 10, 2023
    5. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    6. Follow the Money, "New Mexico State Senate 2012 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    7. Follow the Money, "New Mexico State Senate 2008 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    8. Follow the Money, "New Mexico State Senate 2004 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    9. Follow the Money, "New Mexico State Senate 2000 Campaign Contributions," accessed May 12, 2014
    10. Justia US Law, "2021 New Mexico Statutes Section 2-8D-4," accessed February 6, 2023
    11. New Mexico Legislature, "New Mexico Constitution," accessed February 11, 2021 (Article IV, Section 4)
    12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 All About Redistricting, "New Mexico," accessed May 6, 2015
    13. All About Redistricting, "New Mexico," accessed April 19, 2021
    14. New Mexico State Legislature, "2021 2nd Special Session - HB 8," accessed January 3, 2022
    15. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named sb2
    16. U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers New Mexico's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," accessed February 11, 2021
    17. The Republic, "New Mexico's redistricting costs total nearly $8M, exceeding expenses a decade ago," August 2, 2012(Archived)
    18. The Republic, "Judge adopts bipartisan redistricting plan for New Mexico Senate," January 16, 2012
    19. NY Times, "New Mexico Supreme Court Won't Restore Funds to Legislature," May 11, 2017
    20. The Albuquerque Journal, "Lawmakers keep ‘fingers crossed’ as session ends," May 30, 2017
    21. timesunion.com, "New Mexico special session ends with capital-spending deal," accessed June 9, 2015
    22. University of New Mexico, "New Mexico 2015 Legislative session opens," accessed January 21, 2014
    23. www.santafenewmexican.com/, "Issues facing the New Mexico Legislature ," accessed January 21, 2014
    24. ABQ Journal, "Legislature: New Members, Old Issues," January 13, 2013
    25. Santa Fe New Mexican, "Election-year tension and redrawn districts set stage for political dramas at the Capitol," January 15, 2012(Archived)
    26. Latin American Herald Tribune, "Undocumented New Mexicans Can Still Get Driver’s Licenses," February 19, 2012
    27. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
    28. New Mexico Legislature, "Session Dates," accessed August 12, 2014
    29. Find Law, "Tenth Amendment - U.S. Constitution," accessed May 20, 2017
    30. Newmexicopolitics.net "New Mexico’s veto problem," June 26, 2017
    31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023