General Examination of Legislative Modernization in New Mexico

Legislative modernization refers to both individual and institutional changes to the legislature designed to improve its efficacy and increase its capacity. There are three primary areas that scholars look at when analyzing legislative modernization or professionalization: legislative staffing, legislator compensation, and session length. The concept of modernization generally involves assessing the degree to which a legislature operates as a separate and independent branch of government and evaluating the factors that impact its ability to effectively generate policy, manage the state budget, and balance the powers of the executive and judicial branches.