This year's legislative session was a good one for open-government advocates seeking easier access to public records, the head of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government said.

Lawmakers passed one measure (SB 52) that requires agencies to provide electronic documents when available. The measure eliminates the cumbersome and expensive process of getting paper copies.

The bill is pending on Gov. Susana Martinez's desk.

Already, Martinez has signed another measure (SB 327) that will put school district information on the state's sunshine portal. The current portal has financial and other information about state government, but not schools, which account for about half of state spending.

Another bill (SB 208) requires more public notice than in the past for hearings on proposed health insurance rate changes.

"All in all, it was very positive," said Sarah Welsh, Foundation for Open Government's director. "I was pleased with what passed and there wasn't anything that passed that was a real blow to public access," she said.

It wasn't all rosy for open government groups, however. One key measure sought by Foundation for Open Government and others, HB 406, would have made state motor vehicle and other database information available electronically to anyone who requested it.

The measure would have meant that a company that currently has a contract to sell Motor Vehicle Division data would no longer have had exclusive rights to the public information. It also would have opened up other state databases to anyone who wanted to view them with a computer.

Under current law, drivers cannot opt out of having their information —- which is personally identifiable — sold to companies, such as insurance firms. Companies use the information for various purposes, including checking the driving record of a potential school bus driver, for example.

The measure died in committee.

The group also will work again on a measure that calls for better notice of public meetings, Welsh said.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at www.greenchilechatter.com.