Want a tutorial in how slippery politics can be in the state Capitol when the subject is New Mexico's driver's-license law? On Monday, all you had to do was watch the New Mexico House Rules Committee.

The committee's 20 lawmakers met to determine which bills deserved to go forward, based on whether they related to a subject on the governor's proclamation that called state lawmakers into special session last week.

Before the end of the meeting, all the committee's Democrats had backed a bill from a Republican, his GOP colleagues had unanimously opposed it, and one lawmaker was joking about a certain hot place freezing over given the convergence of so many rare circumstances all at once.

Around the state Capitol, usually with controversial subjects, Democrats stick together and Republicans do the same.

But nothing is quite that simple when it comes to New Mexico's current driver's-license law, which has become a political flash point during the special legislative session.

New Mexico is one of three states to issue driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, and Gov. Susana Martinez has seized on repealing the law as a priority in her first year as the state's chief executive, giving it prominence on the proclamation that called state lawmakers into special session.

In addition, Martinez has repeatedly shot down overtures for a compromise deal, saying she supported a proposal from Rep. Andrew Nuñez, I-Hatch, which would ban issuing driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants.

"The bill that is being presented is the compromise bill," Martinez said of Nuñez's proposal last week, adding that she wouldn't agree to adopting a law like Utah's. That neighboring state issues driver's permits to undocumented immigrants, but the permits can't serve as government IDs.

"New Mexicans don't want the Utah model," the governor said last week. "New Mexicans only want individuals who are here in this country, in the state of New Mexico, legally, to receive driver's licenses."

As it so happened Monday, one of the bills up for discussion in the House Rules Committee meeting would mirror Utah's policy.

"I think it's a good bill," said the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Thomas Anderson of Albuquerque. "Several people in my district asked me to file it."

The nine Republicans on the House Rules Committee did not share Anderson's opinion and voted against sending the measure on in the legislative process.

Rep. Dennis Roch, R-Texico, summed up the GOP's argument, saying the bill didn't relate to the governor's proclamation because its goal was not to stop the issuance of driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants but to create a new driver's permit.

Roch's argument didn't win the day. The 11 Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted to send Anderson's bill forward, including Rep. Joseph Cervantes, D-Las Cruces. Cervantes voted for the repeal of the driver's-license law during this year's regular legislative session and still supports ending the practice of issuing licenses to undocumented immigrants.

He said, however, that Anderson's bill clearly related to the subject of the driver's-license law on the session proclamation.

On a similar 11-9 vote, the House Rules Committee also sent on legislation from Democratic House Speaker Ben Luján of Nambé that would enable foreign nationals without Social Security numbers to receive state licenses, but only for two-year increments. New Mexico driver's licenses currently are issued for four and eight years, although people 75 and older have to renew their licenses every year.

Neither Luján's nor Anderson's bills go as far as Nuñez's legislation. And it's unclear how far either will progress through the legislative process.

Cervantes didn't have an optimistic forecast.

Asked about Anderson's and Luján's bills as possible compromises, Cervantes said, "The governor's not going to sign anything short of a repeal."

Contact Trip Jennings at 986-3050 or at tjennings@sfnewmexican.com.