Gov. Susana Martinez stood before the state’s lawmakers to give her sixth State of the State address on Tuesday. She called for transparency and good government.
Shortly after the legislative session convened around noon, the Democrat-run state Senate voted to archive recordings of committee meetings and post them online. That’s a move Republican Gov. Martinez recommended minutes later during her speech.
"Through transparency, better decisions are made," she added. "New Mexicans want to be engaged. They want to know what is going on here."
The governor also said legislators should have to disclose their clients and that there should be more transparency in the capital outlay process.
The Santa Fe Reporter is suing Martinez for violating open records laws and also the state’s constitution by refusing to answer questions from the paper’s journalists.
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The People, Power and Democracy project examines ethics, transparency and accountability in state government. It's a collaborative, multi-media partnership between KUNM-FM, New Mexico PBS, New Mexico In Depth and the New Mexico News Port. The project is funded by the Thornburg Foundation and by contributions from KUNM listeners.
