SANTA FE — A bill intended to give the New Mexico State Game Commission more political autonomy cleared its first committee hearing Tuesday.
House Bill 263, sponsored by Rep. Matthew McQueen, D-Santa Fe, passed the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 7-to-5, with Democrats on the committee voting for it and Republicans opposed. The bill next goes to the House Judiciary Committee.
McQueen’s bill would change the current law that allows governors to appoint all seven members of the game commission. Newly elected governors often dismiss all sitting game commissioners and appoint a new slate of their own.
Under McQueen’s bill, the governor would get to appoint three members of the commission, no more than two from a single political party. The governor would have to appoint one commissioner from each of the state’s three congressional districts.
The bill calls for the Legislative Council, a body of legislative leaders, to appoint the other four members.
Of those appointed by the Legislative Council, the bill would earmark one seat for a hunter/ angler and another seat would be set aside for a scientist.
McQueen’s bill would retain the requirement in existing law that one seat be reserved for a rancher or farmer and another for a conservationist.
The bill would specify that of the hunter/angler, rancher/farmer and conservationist seats, no more than two could be of the same political party.
McQueen’s bill would also specify that commissioners would serve staggered, six-year terms, up from four years currently. They could only be removed for incompetence, neglect of duty or malfeasance. The New Mexico Supreme Court would preside over any removal hearings.
The New Mexico Wildlife Federation was instrumental in creating the game commission under state law in the 1920s. John Crenshaw, president of the federation board, said Tuesday the federation supports McQueen’s reform bill.
“We’re backing it because we’re wanting to try to keep partisan politics out of the decision-making as much as possible to bring independence and stability to the board,” Crenshaw said.
“Commissioners can be bullied behind the scenes to vote a certain way, and be arbitrarily fired if they don’t,” Crenshaw said. “To me, the most important component is the the one that would prevent that.”
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish draws no money from the state general fund, relying instead on license fee revenues and federal funds.
Crenshaw said the federation is confident that McQueen’s bill will ensure that hunters and anglers will be well represented in the future.
“The bill would divide appointing authority between the governor and legislative leadership and that hopefully would bring a diversity of thoughts and backgrounds to the commission,” Crenshaw said.
“The ultimate goal is that we create a commission system that will encourage commissioners to be loyal to and focused on the wildlife and hunters and anglers and other user groups and not to any one politician or group of politicians,” Crenshaw said.