Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the Legislature. LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they
are used for other purposes.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Rep. Silva
/Sen. Steinborn
LAST UPDATED
ORIGINAL DATE 2/4/25
SHORT TITLE Lobbying Activity Reports
BILL
NUMBER House Bill 143
ANALYST Hilla
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT*
(dollars in thousands)
Agency/Program
FY25 FY26 FY27
3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring or
Nonrecurring
Fund
Affected
SOS No fiscal impact $60.0 to $65.0 No fiscal impact $60.0 to $65.0 Nonrecurring General Fund
SOS No fiscal impact No fiscal impact $11.0 $11.0 Recurring General Fund
Total No fiscal impact $60.0 to $65.0 $11.0 $66.0 to 76.0 Nonrecurring General Fund
Parentheses ( ) indicate expenditure decreases.
*Amounts reflect most recent analysis of this legislation.
Relates to Senate Bill 90, which would require a two year period before legislators could register
as lobbyists.
Sources of Information
LFC Files
Agency Analysis Received From
Secretary of State (SOS) New Mexico Attorney General (NMAG) State Ethics Commission (SEC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of House Bill 143
House Bill 143 (HB143) adds a new section to the Lobbyist Regulation Act that requires
lobbyists, or employers of lobbyists, to file an activity report on legislation that the filer either
lobbies in support of or in opposition to. The lobbyist or lobbyist employer would have to file an
activity report with the Secretary of State (SOS) before the end of a legislative session. The
activity report must include:
Specific legislation lobbied;
Lobbyist’s or lobbyist’s employer’s support, opposition, or other position on legislation
and whether their position changed or not;
The name of the lobbyist’s employer that lobbied on legislation.
HB143 requires lobbyist efforts to be reported even after adjournment of the legislative session
but before the time in which the governor may act. House Bill 143 – Page 2
The effective date of this bill is January 1, 2027
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
SOS states that HB143 would require a one-time cost of $60 thousand to $65 thousand to add the
lobbyist reporting module to the office’s lobbyist reporting system. The one-time cost would
occur in FY26. The year-over-year cost would be $11 thousand annually to maintain the new
module, which would affect the general fund.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The New Mexico Attorney General (NMAG) notes HB143 is unclear if a lobbyist would have to
provide a report if no legislation is introduced, or if a lobbyist engages in significant lobbying to
prevent legislation from being introduced and is successful.
However, the State Ethics Commission (SEC) states HB143 would modernize the Lobbyist
Reporting Act in a way that is consistent with nationwide trends. SEC points to other state’s that
require similar lobbyist activity reporting as outlined in HB143.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
HB143 relates to Senate Bill 90, which would not allow legislators to register as lobbyists until
two years after their tenure.
EH/sgs/hg