Speaker Don Tripp
STATE News:
SANTA FE – New House Speaker Don Tripp sent a letter to the newly appointed committee chairs, asking that they meet on time in order to encourage New Mexicans to get involved in their government.
In the past, committees often ran hours off schedule, making it difficult for constituents to be part of the governing process.
Speaker Tripp sent the following letter to the chairs:
To The Honorable Committee Chairs,
I am writing to discuss my expectations of you as a newly appointed committee chair. As you can appreciate, I believe our committees must operate as efficiently and effectively as possible to better serve the people who elected us.
To do that, I ask that you call your committee to order on time. In the rare event that circumstances make that impossible, your committee staff should notify the public as early as possible about the delay and provide them with frequent updates. Constituents from across the state travel to Santa Fe to participate in our legislative process. But as you are aware, committees have often run hours behind schedule in the past, which not only discourages New Mexicans from participating in our government, but also blocks them from doing so. Beginning committees on time will ensure that everyone gets a chance to participate.
I am also asking that you plan your agendas as far in advance as possible so that we can provide adequate notice to the public which may be interested in the legislation your committee will be hearing.
In addition, while this goes without saying, please treat everyone with the utmost respect and allow for equal debate for both proponents and opponents of each bill. Regardless of their views, everyone taking the time to participate in their government should be given every courtesy.
I ask you for your cooperation so we can best serve the people of New Mexico.
Sincerely,
Speaker Don Tripp
