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New Mexico House committee approves archiving webcasting

New Mexico Senator Jeff Steinborn
Sen. Jeff Steinborn
New Mexico Senator Jeff Steinborn

  The House Appropriations and Finance Committee moments ago approved a proposalto archive all House floor and committee proceedings.

The legislation calls for the House to save webcasts of that chamber's activities for five years beginning next year.

The committee passed a similar proposal a year ago, but the House never got around to approving it.

New Mexico began webcasting legislative activities a few years ago later than many states around the country. But it has never archived those webcasts, meaning New Mexicans can't see their lawmakers at work unless they're in front of their computer or mobile device as the legislative activities are happening.

As with webcasting, the New Mexico Legislature is following the same pattern with archiving.

"More than half the states ... archive and make available on the web floor proceedings, and about half archive some or all committee proceedings (for varying lengths of time)," notes the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Here's a chart from that organization that shows what states do what.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, now goes to the House Rules & Order of Business Committee.