1 Vesting of legislative power; location of sessions; referendum on legislation
2 Powers generally; disaster emergency procedure
3 Number and qualifications of members; single-member districts; reapportionment
4 Terms of office of members; time of election; filling of vacancies
5 Time and length of sessions; items considered in even-numbered years
6 Special session; extraordinary session
7 Judge of election and qualification of members; quorum
8 Call to order; presiding officers
9 Selection and compensation of officers and employees
10 Compensation of members
11 Rules of procedure; contempt or disorderly conduct; expulsion of members
12 Public sessions; journals
13 Privileges and immunities
14 Adjournment
15 Laws to be passed by bill; alteration of bill; enacting clause; printing and reading of bill
16 Subject of bill in title; appropriation bills
17 Passage of bills
18 Amendment of statutes
19 Introduction of bills
20 Enrollment, engrossment and signing of bills
21 Alteration or theft of bill
22 Governor’s approval or veto of bills
23 Effective date of law; emergency acts
24 Local or special laws
25 Validating unauthorized official acts; fines against officers, etc
26 Grant of franchise or privilege
27 Extra or increased compensation for officers, contractors, etc
28 Appointment of present and former legislators to office; interest of legislators in contracts
29 Laws creating debts
30 Payments from treasury to be upon appropriations and warrant
31 Appropriations for charitable, educational, etc., purposes
32 Remission of debts due state or municipalities
33 Prosecutions under repealed laws
34 Change of rights or procedure in pending cases
35 Power and procedure for impeachment and trial
36 Officers subject to impeachment
37 Railroad passes
38 Monopolies
39 “Bribery” and “solicitation” defined
40 Penalty for bribery
41 Compelling testimony in bribery cases
42 Hearings on confirmation of gubernatorial appointments
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Terms Used In New Mexico Constitution > Article IV - Legislative Department

  • Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
  • Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
  • Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
  • Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
  • Public debt: Cumulative amounts borrowed by the Treasury Department or the Federal Financing Bank from the public or from another fund or account. The public debt does not include agency debt (amounts borrowed by other agencies of the Federal Government). The total public debt is subject to a statutory limit.
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
  • Testify: Answer questions in court.
  • Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
  • Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.