It shall be the duty of the legislative council:

A. to adopt rules and regulations for the administration of this act in the conduct of the affairs of the council service;

B. to formulate policies for the operation and conduct of the business of the council service, and generally to supervise all of the activities of such council service;

C. to carry out the purposes of the council service as hereafter set forth;

D. to create committees of legislators to study major problems during the periods when the legislature is not in session; provided that:

(1) no member of the council shall serve as an officer or voting member on an interim committee appointed or created by the council;

(2) all committees created by the council shall terminate on or before December 1 of the year in which they are created, unless the council subsequently extends the life of the committee for not more than one month;

(3) the minority party shall be represented on all council-created committees in the proportion the minority party is represented in each house;

(4) the relationship of the size of the house and senate shall be taken into consideration in determining the number of members from each house appointed to an interim committee created by the council; and

(5) members shall be appointed to council-created committees by the same appointing authorities that appoint the council members from each house, and subject to the same recommendations. The council shall name committee officers from among the committee members so appointed;

E. to adopt rules of procedure for all committees created by the council including a rule that no action shall be taken by the committee if a majority of the total membership from either house on the committee rejects such action; provided that no member of the legislature shall ever be excluded from any meeting of any committee appointed by the council; and

F. to refrain from advocating or opposing the introduction or passage of legislation.

History: 1941 Comp., § 2-403, enacted by Laws 1951, ch. 182, § 3; 1953 Comp., § 2-3-3; Laws 1955, ch. 286, § 3; 1978, ch. 21, § 11.

Compiler's notes. — The words "this act" in Subsection A refer to Laws 1951, ch. 182, which is compiled as 2-3-1 to 2-3-3, 2-3-8 and 2-3-11 to 2-3-16 NMSA 1978.

Redistricting committee. — Laws 2011, ch. 185, §§1 to 6, effective June 17, 2011, created a joint interim legislative redistricting committee. The committee, composed of eighteen members, functioned from the date of its appointment until January 13, 2012.

Military and veterans' affairs committee. — Laws 2009, ch. 116, § 1, effective June 19, 2009, created the military and veterans' affairs committee. The committee, composed of eight voting members, functioned from the date of its appointment until the second session of the forty-ninth legislature.

Cross references. — For duties in regard to uniformity of laws, see 2-4-2 NMSA 1978.