The New Mexico State Legislature kicked off its 60-day session at noon Jan. 20 with Gov. Bill Richardson's State of the State speech.

The governor cautioned lawmakers that the theme of the session should be frugality. With the state facing decreased oil and gas revenue, legislators will be looking hang onto past appropriations up for reauthorization as well as cutting costs.

Starting with a bevy of bills

The Legislature started its session with the "feed bill," an $8.3 million appropriation to pay for the session. But the first part of the session is generally used to introduce bills and a determine which committees will hear them.

State Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort, R-Sandia Park, has introduced 13 bills so far this session. A few of those bills are:

SB 81 Hiring Freeze Enforcement. This bill would enforce Gov. Bill Richardson's hiring freeze, which was scheduled for Nov. 15, 2008.

Richardson's administration put 416 people on the payroll just before the freeze took effect. At the time, State Personnel Director Sandra Perez said the hiring was normal for that time of year. She also said that the state lost 359 employees during the same time period through normal attrition, including retirements.

Some legislators, including Beffort, were critical of the new hires.

"I'm really kind of now a villain," Beffort said at the Estancia Basin Resource Association's annual meeting on Jan. 24, referring to her criticism of the new hires.

She said she feels it's time for the government to cut its spending and said she would not support a move to shift the burden of the budget deficit onto businesses.

"I think that it is fair that we look at what we are doing," she said.

If passes, the hiring freeze would be repealed July 1, 2010.

SB 82 Permit Redispensation of Unused Prescriptions. This bill would require the state Corrections Department to accept and use the unused portions of prescription drugs for inmate care.

SB 161 Premium Assistance for Low Income Households. This bill would amend the Medical Insurance Pool Act to adopt a schedule to provide coverage at lower rates for those who qualify as low-income.

SB 199 Rural Health Telemedicine Network. This proposed appropriation is $2 million in matching funds for a Federal Communications Commission allocation of $11.3 million. The money would be used to implement a statewide rural telemedicine network.

SB 213 Weight Distance Tax Under-Reporting Penalties. This bill would fine commercial vehicle operators $4,000 for failing to report and pay the state for their miles traveled on New Mexico roads.

A new openness?

On Tuesday, State Rep. Kathy McCoy, R-Sandia Knolls, was in a "lively discussion" on the house floor about Web cams, she said.

McCoy, who is on the House Rules Committee, said she supports the Web cast.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is something we should do post-haste," she said. "The public should be able to get on the Internet and see what's going on here … if we want government transparency, this is one way to get it out there."

She added that many people in the state are not able to attend public sessions where laws relevant to their area are being made, and that most other states are already broadcasting their legislative sessions.

"New Mexico is such a big state that people can't just hop in their car and run up here for committee meetings," she said. "It's very important that we join the rest of the world in doing this.

She said the Legislature is "somewhat in the Dark Ages when it comes to technology," but that she also understands some lawmakers' concerns about being filmed in an "embarrassing moment," such as falling asleep during a session.

"We put in long hours," she said.

She added that those issues have already been addressed in states that have already started doing Web casts.

"We can use the rules that they have, tweaked to our particular circumstances. I don't think that there's any big deal," she said.

Money is the name of the game

Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, is a member of the Legislative Finance Committee. In an e-mail, Campos said he and other the members of the finance committee were watching the economy and state financial forecasts, including "how we can reasonably stimulate the state economy."

"We are attempting to address the solvency legislation and send it to Gov. Bill Richardson as soon as possible. This legislation will address the $454 million shortfall for this fiscal year (2009). Once that is done we will begin the process for the 2010 budget," Campos said.

Following is a list of the 13 bills and bill numbers he has sponsored so far during this session:

SB 84, Study Military Corpsmen as Nurses.

SB 93, Neuroscience-Driven Pilot Program.

SB 105, Implement Electronic Patient Health Records.

SB 106, Expand Rehab Teaching Programs.

SB 107, Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in School Lunches.

SB 110, Public Improvement District Elections.

SB 131, Main Street Revolving Loan Criteria.

SB 139, State Ethics Commission Act.

SB 233, East Torrance Soil and Water Programs.

SB 234, Create Computer Hardware Loan Fund.

SB 235, Resource and Energy-Efficient Public Buildings.

SJR 2, County Official Term Limits, CA.

SJR 9, Double Statewide Debt Limit, CA.

Rep. Rhonda King, D-Stanley, is also a member of the Legislative Finance Committee. King was not available for comment.

King has sponsored two bills during this session so far:

HB 344, Dependent Child Day Care Expenses Tax Credit.

HB 345, NMSU Extension Service and Experiment Station.