House Democrats Refuse to Reform Their Own Pensions

Sheryl Williams Stapleton

Thursday night, Representatives Ken Martinez and Sheryl Williams Stapleton, both Democrats in control of the House Labor and Human Resources committee, marshaled unanimous support within their own party. They killed a bill that would have reformed their own pension plan.

The bill called for a slight increase in state legislator contributions to an exclusive and lucrative taxpayer-backed pension program. The bill would have also established an age minimum of 62 for legislators before they could begin drawing their pensions.

Ironically, Stapleton is also one of just a few legislators that takes a full salary from the public schools while she is in Santa Fe with the rest of the state's legislators, who are unpaid. 

“My constituents have faced hard times over the last few years,” said Labor Committee member Rep. Rick Little who voted for the reforms. "The taxpayers deserve to see us make responsible reforms to our own pensions. We need to live within our means just as New Mexico families do.”

“That both the Democrat Majority Leader and Democrat Majority Whip would vote against pension reform is distressing,” concluded HB 42 bill sponsor Rep. Dennis Kintigh.

House Democrats Refuse to Reform Their Own Pensions