SANTA FE – Legislators in New Mexico usually have day jobs.
They aren’t paid a salary for serving in the Legislature, and most of them are either retired or have careers that allow them to take a break to travel to Santa Fe for legislative sessions, often hundreds of miles from home.
But a proposed constitutional amendment awaiting action in the Senate aims to broaden the pool of people who could serve – and perhaps limit potential conflicts from outside employment – by clearing the way for lawmakers to draw a salary.