Cabinet secretary residency bill clears Senate hurdle

Dan Boyd, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·1 min read

Feb. 26—SANTA FE — A bill that would require New Mexico cabinet secretaries to live in state during their appointed tenures passed its first Senate panel on Friday.

Members of the Senate Rules Committee voted 7-1 to approve the legislation, Senate Bill 357, which now advances to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The issue of cabinet secretary residency flared up during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Public Education Secretary Ryan Stewart spent several months living with his family in Philadelphia.

A PED spokeswoman defended Stewart, saying he was following Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's directive to work remotely to slow the spread of the virus.

But the remote working arrangement drew the ire of some lawmakers, who said Stewart should have stayed in New Mexico to be able to meet with school officials.

Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, a co-sponsor of this year's bill, pointed out the state Constitution requires elected officials to reside in New Mexico.

"My concern here is about our system," Candelaria said during Friday's debate.

Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, cast the lone dissenting vote against the bill, which would require cabinet secretaries to sign an affidavit and would allow for their removal if they failed to maintain residency within New Mexico.