LEGISLATIVE COMPENSATION, CA
HJR 5 proposes a constitutional amendment to tie New Mexico state legislators' annual compensation to the state's median household income. Under this change, legislative pay would automatically increase if the median income rises and decrease if it falls, with adjustments made annually based on economic data. The amendment would take effect for legislators serving in the 59th Legislature (starting in 2028) and requires voter approval in the 2028 general election. This directly affects all state legislators by linking their salary to broader economic conditions rather than fixed rates.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 16, 2026
Signed Mar 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
introduced version
→
Final Version
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was reformatted to remove redundant headers and clarify its purpose. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a requirement that legislative compensation must be reduced if the median household income in New Mexico falls, whereas the previous version only allowed for increases. The specific election date for voter approval was also removed, making the timing flexible rather than fixed for 2028.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded to include a mandatory reduction mechanism for legislative pay based on economic conditions, adding a new constraint to the compensation formula.
REQUIREMENT
Added a requirement that legislative compensation must decrease if the state's median household income drops.
TIMELINE
Removed the specific date of the 2028 general election, allowing the amendment to be placed on any upcoming general or special election ballot.
TECHNICAL
Removed redundant title headers and formatting artifacts from the original draft.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 17, 2026 · House Feb 13, 2026
How they voted
20–18
Passed
Total votes 38
Feb 17, 2026
D
Democratic22
86% Yea
R
Republican16
93% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
9
Key actions
6
Committee
3
Mar 6, 2026
Signed into law
Signed
executive
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
passed Senate
upper
Feb 16, 2026
Upper · Passed
DO PASS committee report adopted
upper
Feb 15, 2026
Introduced
Sent to Senate Rules Committee
upper
Feb 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
passed House
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
DO PASS committee report adopted
lower
Feb 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
DO PASS, as amended, committee report adopted
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Introduced
Sent to House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee & House Judiciary Committee
lower
Jan 16, 2026
Introduced
Sent to House Pre-file
lower
5 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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