State Selling Public Information Exclusively

NMPolitics - Public information belongs to the public, and it shouldn’t be sold for profit by the government. But that’s exactly what the state is doing with its electronic database of driver’s records. That information is sold exclusively to a Kansas company, which has a monopoly on selling the information to everyone else. Former Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration thought this was a good idea, and it entered into a contract that turns public records into a profit-making venture. A bill that would have undone that outrageous deal was tabled Monday by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee because – surprise, surprise – the state is now dependent on the $6 million the records generate every year, and the Motor Vehicle Division doesn’t know how to live without that cash.

Though House Bill 406, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces, had previously passed two committees unanimously, it appears to be dead this session. The appropriation committee’s vote to table was 9-5, with four members absent. While her taxation and revenue secretary opposed the bill during Monday’s hearing, Gov. Susana Martinez wasn’t quite as clear on her position in a statement from spokesman Scott Darnell to NMPolitics.net. “The governor is supportive of the intention in HB 406; however, she is also very concerned by what appears to be a significant fiscal impact to the state budget – which would need to be resolved in the overall construct of the state budget,” Darnell said. Boo. Read full story here: News New Mexico

State Selling Public Information Exclusively