OPINION: HB 143: Transparency for everyone but the elected

Sharing a meal is one of the simplest ways a community comes together. Everyone brings their best — different dishes, different ideas — contributing to something larger than themselves. Think of a neighborhood potluck: Carlos’ BBQ ribs, Jenny’s chicken sliders, Emma’s apple crisp. Now imagine if, before bringing a dish, you had to file paperwork listing every ingredient. If you wanted to adjust the seasoning, you had to submit a report. Pretty soon, creativity dries up. Bureaucratic red tape smothers the spirit of participation, and the community settles for less than it deserves.

That’s exactly what House Bill 143 would do to New Mexico’s democratic process. In a state ranked 46th in the nation for financial transparency, meaningful reform is overdue. But HB143 isn’t that reform. Under the guise of lobbying reform, it targets community advocates, researchers and nonprofits — while leaving the people who actually vote on legislation untouched.

Currently, lobbyists already report who they work for and donations made to political candidates.

Fair enough. But HB143 goes much further.

It would require lobbyists and their employers — including anyone who helps shape legislation — to report every bill they engage with, what position they took, and whether that position changed, all within 48 hours.

According to New Mexico’s Lobbyist Regulation Act Reporting Guidelines, a lobbyist is someone who:

• Is compensated to lobby,
• Is designated to represent an organization, OR
• Engages in lobbying as a substantial part of their job.

That could include a public health expert who testifies on Medicaid access, a nonprofit advocating for affordable housing, or a research institute analyzing tax proposals. Not because they’re political operatives, but because they’re doing exactly what legislative staff routinely ask of them: provide nonpartisan analysis, submit Fiscal Impact Reports, help lawmakers understand real-world consequences, and build the best possible legislation. These aren’t power brokers. They’re public servants, small business owners, nonprofits, and everyday New Mexicans — the very voices we need more of.

But under HB143, their participation could be chilled — subjected to bureaucratic burdens and public labeling as “lobbyists.”

HB143 would turn what could have been a good conversation between stakeholders and legislators into a game of winners and losers. Sadly, the real losers are the working families of New Mexico — forced to accept weaker, less effective laws because too many good ideas never make it to the table.

Bottom line — at a time when New Mexico should be expanding participation, HB143 will silence the very voices we need more. It puts nonprofits, tribal leaders, small business owners, rural advocates and community groups in the crosshairs.

Meanwhile, the elected officials voting on these bills face no new transparency at all.

During my 12 years in the Legislature, I saw it firsthand: Lawmakers voting on oil and gas bills while paid by the industry, voting on education budgets while employed by public schools, and shaping medical malpractice laws while affiliated with firms poised to benefit. No disclosures. No accountability.

Yet under HB143, lawmakers avoid scrutiny while New Mexicans offering expertise are burdened.

That’s a glaring double standard.

If we are serious about transparency in influence, let’s require comprehensive financial disclosures for elected officials, conflict-of-interest reporting tied to legislative votes, and updates to lobbyist reporting that strengthen transparency without punishing public participation. It would include limits on lobbyist spending and disclosure of direct relationships — without silencing the voices that improve our laws. Transparency must be real. It must be shared by everyone — including those with the power to pass laws.

Because true reform doesn’t mean silencing others. It means leading by example.