New Mexico’s left wing Legislature looks to undermine anti-donation clause

Laws supporting good government in New Mexico are few, far between, and often ignored or ineffective. One of the few provisions in New Mexico law that are meant to protect taxpayers and the public from ill-advised government policy is the “anti-donation clause.” The idea was placed in New Mexico’s Constitution due to abuses between politicians and the railroads which received large tracts of state-held land to lure them to New Mexico (and other states).

The clause has been weakened in recent years, but we are currently in litigation over the clause and whether the Albuquerque City Council can donate OUR money to a private interest (Planned Parenthood). We believe the answer is “no.” We’d love to see it harder for New Mexico governments to donate OUR tax dollars to private entities (especially for supposed “economic development” which is of course why we have an anti-donation clause in the first place).

What changes are in store? We don’t know yet. Here’s an article from the Santa Fe New Mexican outlining the plans albeit with few specifics.