N.M. Government in Middle on Innovation

A major new study on policy innovations by state governments ranks New Mexico’s government about in the middle.

Government innovation is important, because public opinion shifts over time. There are new problems, as well as new challenges. A government that doesn’t move ahead falls behind.

Innovation means to try something new. The result can be good or bad, depending upon your view.

University of Iowa political science professors Frederick J. Boehmke and Paul Skiller looked at the willingness of states to adopt new policies sooner or later compared with other states. The study focused on 189 policies that states adopted between 1912 and 2009 – such things as laws on seat belts, drunken driving, bottle deposits, gay marriage, public breast-feeding and lotteries.

As you might expect, state government in California ranked No. 1 when it came to trying new things, according to the study, published in State Politics & Policy Quarterly. New Mexico ranked No. 20. State government in Mississippi was last. The study got me thinking about how innovative government has been under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez compared with the previous two governors, Democrat Bill Richardson and Republican Gary Johnson.

Under Johnson, governor from 1995 through 2002, a state lottery was enacted, and casino gambling on Indian land and slot machines at racetracks were legalized. Also under Johnson, we got the first rebate program for film producers, package liquor sales on Sunday, managed care of Medicaid patients, privately built and run prisons, a ban on drive-up liquor windows and the first ignition interlocks for convicted drunken drivers.

There was also the public-private partnership to reconstruct N.M. 44, now U.S. 550. Under Richardson, governor from 2003 through 2010, the gross receipts tax on groceries was eliminated, the death penalty was repealed and a medical marijuana program was created.

Also during the Richardson era, the state began construction on a spaceport, legalized concealed carry of handguns, outlawed cockfighting, required utilities to get more energy from renewable sources, permitted illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and created the online Sunshine Portal for financial information on government. And the state ventured into commuter rail with the Belen-to-Santa Fe Railrunner Express.

Under Martinez, governor since 2011, the Governmental Conduct Act has been expanded to include local officials, and a law allowing judges to strip corrupt officials of their government pensions has been enacted. Martinez has tried to repeal one of the major innovations under Richardson: driver’s licenses for foreign nationals regardless of their immigration status. The governor also wants to stop third-grade students who can’t read from being promoted to fourth grade, an innovation in public education tried in a couple other states.

Martinez still has two more years remaining on her four-year term.

In January, the Legislature will convene for a 60-day session, the last long session of the governor’s term. (Lawmakers meet for just 30 days in even-number years.) The coming session could be Martinez’s last best chance for innovation before her planned re-election campaign in 2014.

UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Thom Cole at tcole@abqjournal.com or 505-992-6280 in Santa Fe. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. — This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal