Redistricting: Lawyers Will SUE and Taxpayers Will PAY

Capitol Report New Mexico - Taxpayers in New Mexico paid nearly $5.3 million for the total costs of the special session in 2001 that tackled redistricting — and $3.5 of that amount went strictly to settle legal challenges after the legislature and then-Gov. Gary Johnson could not reach an agreement on how to draw up state and congressional boundaries. As they are mandated to do every 10 years, lawmakers are about to tackle redistricting again. And if they can’t reach agreement among themselves and Gov. Susana Martinez, the costs from potential legal challenges could be much higher than $3.5 million. Members of the Redistricting Committee held their first meeting of the summer at the Roundhouse Monday (June 20) and while hearing a recap of the last redistricting battle, lawmakers were told it cost taxpayers $1.8 million to handle all the expenses that came with running committees and operating the special session in 2001. Read full story here: News New Mexico

Redistricting: Lawyers Will SUE and Taxpayers Will PAY