For Immediate Release Friday, March 05, 2010 Contact: 986-4702


Exempt Employee Names to be Public,
On-line – State’s Financial Info to be Accessible-Bill Signed into Law Friday


Acting Governor, Lt. Governor Diane Denish signs legislation as sponsor Senator Rue looks on.

SB 195/a – Sunshine Portal Transparency Act- Senator Sander Rue, Signed into law

SB 55- Missing Persons Act- Senator Sander Rue- signed into law

Santa Fe- The names of all exempt employees, their title, and salary will be made public, easily viewed on-line because SB 195/a has been signed into law today. State Senator Sander Rue of Albuquerque sponsored SB 195/a- The Sunshine Portal Transparency Act. He said the information had not been very transparent or easily accessible by the public, prompting the public to ask, “What are they hiding?”

In addition to positions and salaries being easily accessed, the new statute requires creating a new website with the state’s financial and budget information, all free and open to the public.

At the bill signing news conference today, Senator Rue said, “I am most excited because we will get more public input into how state government should be run. They will be able to go on-line and easily see budget line-items and see how their tax dollars are being spent.” Senator Rue said it will be more than a website for centralized, convenient and freely accessible information about government finances. He said it will allow citizen’s the access they need to do their civic duty of overseeing government.

At the news conference today, Senator Rue thanked Lt. Governor Diane Denish for her support of the legislation and he thanked Representative Nathan Cote for carrying the bill in the House. Lt. Governor Diane Denish signed the legislation as acting governor because the governor was out of state.

The statute allows for time to get the information up and running. The bill calls for the information to be available on-line, in an easily understood webpage by July 1, 2011.

Lt. Governor Diane Dennish signed into law another bill that Senator Sander Rue sponsored. The need for SB 55- Missing Persons Act was brought to light after 11 women’s bodies were discovered buried on the West Side of Albuquerque last year. Their killer or killers still have not been caught or charged in the alleged murders.

The new statute is designed to help locate missing children and adults faster and more effectively in New Mexico. The information provides for a developing a more comprehensive approach to finding missing people. Senator Rue said, “We will have a comprehensive and centralized missing persons statute that combines various statutes pertaining to missing children and adults.” Senator Rue said he was pleased the bill requires law enforcement to undergo training on the procedures of reporting and investigating missing people.