New Mexico Watchdog - The law was broken. Campaign contributions were misrepresented. The names on checks lobbyists hand legislators often are not the names lobbyists report to the state. One lobbyist gave $7,500 to various unnamed legislators on behalf of a fireworks company. Bills that could have restricted sale of fireworks during high-risk fire seasons stalled in committees – just months after the state suffered its worst wildfire in history.
Fireworks makers, firefighters’ unions and most Americans are free to contribute – within limits – to candidates who run for state offices in New Mexico. Limits to that freedom include prohibitions against quid pro quo – politicians can’t trade favors for campaign contributions.
New Mexico legislators have passed laws that promise the public access to enough information to see whether such illegal or unethical transactions take place. Those laws aren’t working as they were intended. Based on available public data it’s impossible to connect the dots to know if the fireworks distributor contributed to legislators who let the bill die in committees.
That lobbyist who failed to itemize recipients of campaign contributions broke a law, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Dianna Duran wrote in an e-mail on Monday. Scores of lobbyists who incorrectly completed lobbyists’ disclosure forms likely broke the same law, a Watchdog investigation revealed. Read full story here:
News New Mexico
Watchdog Finds Lobbyist Laws Broken
Fireworks makers, firefighters’ unions and most Americans are free to contribute – within limits – to candidates who run for state offices in New Mexico. Limits to that freedom include prohibitions against quid pro quo – politicians can’t trade favors for campaign contributions.
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