The quiet influence of legislative committee chairs

By Merilee Dannemann 

Some years ago, New Mexico’s Senate Judiciary Committee had the nickname Fernando’s Hideaway. The nickname came from a song called “Hernando’s Hideaway,” published in 1954, from a Broadway musical comedy called “The Pajama Game.” The song, with an enticing tango rhythm, is still a staple in the musical repertoire.

Hernando’s Hideaway was “a dark, secluded place, a place where no one knows your face.” The nickname Fernando’s Hideaway was based on committee chairman Senator Fernando Macias, Las Cruces Democrat. It was given because some bills assigned to Senate Judiciary would never be seen again. The nickname is long gone but that committee still has a reputation as a place where legislation goes to die. It’s now chaired by another Las Cruces Democrat, Sen. Joseph Cervantes. 

The legislative committee system is well understood by political insiders but may be a mystery to most New Mexicans.

The committee system exists so that each important bill can be examined closely by a few small groups of legislators.  Each committee may decide by majority vote to pass the legislation on, amend it or stop it from going further.  

It’s a very reasonable system but it is, of course, subject to politics. 

Committee assignments are made in the House by the Speaker and in the Senate by the majority leader.  Those leaders have the power to help a bill along or slow it down by choosing committee assignments.  One way to kill a bill is to assign it to three committees.   

The next rung of power belongs to the committee chairs.  A committee chair can speed or slow a bill by scheduling when it is heard.   The chair can give favored bills priority scheduling, schedule them late at night when visitors are likely to be gone, or kill a bill by delaying its hearing.   

This year, I have been watching a few bills that I am most concerned about and paying attention to how they are scheduled.

Because the end of the legislative session coincides with the beginning of the primary election season.  It will soon be time to start thinking about which candidates you will vote for and which, if any, candidates you will want to support beyond just voting.

When the session is over, you can look at what the legislators for your district did on matters that you care about.  For example, if your legislator was a chairperson whose committee handled a bill that was important to you, you can see, as recorded on the nmlegis.gov web site, how the bill was treated in that committee.

This may sound like a lot of work, but you only have one House member and one senator, and probably just a few bills you care about particularly.  The end of the session may be a good time for you to find out how your representatives responded to your priorities.  

I have been especially focused on one bill where my representative, as a committee chair, was involved with adding an amendment that seriously weakened the bill. As I’m writing, I don’t know the final outcome of the bill, but I do know what that representative did.  

The entire House is up for re-election this year and the primary election is just a few months away (June 2). As the session ends and legislators start vying for donations as well as votes, it will be a good time for informed constituents to chat with their neighbors, give or withhold campaign contributions, and let their representatives know they are watching.

Merilee Dannemann’s columns are posted at www.triplespacedagain.com.  Comments are invited through the web site.

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