So just what, exactly, did local lawmakers do this session? If you lost track amid the debates and the 1,203 bills that were introduced in the session, don't fret. Our Capitol reporting team took a look at some of the legislation Santa Fe-area lawmakers proposed and how local lawmakers affected the 60-day session:

House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé

It might be said that the powerful House speaker's biggest accomplishment was hanging onto power when a looming leadership challenge by a coalition of Southern New Mexico Democrats and Republicans looked inevitable just before the session began. But the challenge fizzled by the opening day of the session. Some coalition supporters blamed tea-party organizations for scaring Republican representatives away from the plan, which would have required them to elect a Democrat to the leadership position rather than a fellow Republican.

As House speaker, Luján is considered the most powerful member of the Legislature. He decides who chairs and sits on House committees, he assigns bills to committees, and he decides which bills get heard on the House floor.

His supporters say he's knowledgeable and has never forgotten his working-class roots. But some critics say Luján, who has been speaker since 2001, is an iron-fisted leader. Animosity between him and Rep. Andy Nuñez of Hatch came to a boil early in the session when Luján stripped Nuñez of a committee chairmanship and Nuñez bolted the Democratic Party to become an independent.

Despite staving off the leadership challenge, Luján's power waned this session because of the loss of Democratic seats. House Democrats now have only a bare majority of 36 members, compared with 33 Republicans and one independent.

Luján's most notable bill in this session was HB 607, the film-production tax-credit bill. Working with House Republican Leader Tom Taylor of Farmington, he crafted a compromise bill that put a limit on the amount of money the state can pay out to the movie industry.

Proposal: HB 444 would have provided tax incentives for oil and gas producers who install an environmentally friendly closed-loop circulation system on wells. The measure was an attempt to mitigate the expense of the controversial pit rule, which is hated by the oil industry.

Outcome: The measure died in committee.

Proposal: HB 198 would have established tax credits for people and businesses that convert vehicles from using petroleum-based fuel to natural-gas fuel.

Outcome: Passed the House but died in the Senate.



Rep. Luciano "Lucky" Varela, D-Santa Fe

Chairman of the Legislature's budget arm, the Legislative Finance Committee, Varela is one of the most powerful lawmakers in the House. Working behind the scenes, he influences the way the Legislature moves on everything from the state budget to the pension systems for state workers and public teachers. For example, the Legislative Finance Committee submitted a proposed state budget before this year's legislative session. That $5.4 billion proposal became the template for the state budget proposal that passed the Legislature.

"The budget that left the House before the film component is pretty much what the Senate adopted," Varela said.

Proposal: HB 130 would have extended the Government Reorganization Task Force until Dec. 31, 2011. The task force was charged in 2010 with coming up with suggestions on how to restructure the government to save money.

The bill would have expanded the scope of the original task force to continued consolidation of agencies and reduction of overlapping programs and services, and further scrutiny of the judicial and legislative branches for cost savings and efficiency.

Outcome: The House passed the bill, but it got stuck in the Senate Finance Committee on the final day.

Proposal: Varela co-sponsored SB 83 with Sen. John Sapien. SB 83 would have established the state inspector general as head of the Office of Government Accountability. The inspector general would have been appointed by the governor, with consent of the Senate.

Outcome: Died in committee.



Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe

Egolf this year was awarded the chairmanship of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. That job put him in the spotlight as lawmakers questioned New Mexico Gas Co. officials over a natural-gas outage in the wake of a serious winter storm. The position also put Egolf in the news as conflict between oil supporters and environmentalists heated up, resulting in GOP lawmakers walking out on the committee after questioning the credibility of an expert Egolf had invited to speak about the oil and gas industry.

With Gov. Susana Martinez's administration wanting to roll back some of the environmental measures signed by former Gov. Bill Richardson, Egolf will remain under pressure in his new post.

Proposal: HB 174, the Fairness in Foreclosure Act, would have awarded attorney's fees to a prevailing defendant in a foreclosure dispute.

Outcome: Passed

Proposal: HB 195 would have established an independent ethics commission to handle complaints about state officials and employees.

Outcome: Died in committee.

Proposal: HB 173 would have encouraged investment of state money in small community banks.

Outcome: Died in committee.

Proposal: HB 176 would have clarified the authority of the Oil Conservation Division to assess civil penalties, would have increased the amount of well-plugging and reclamation bonds a gas and oil operator would be required to have, and would have clarified the Oil Conservation Division's authority to regulate discharges of water contaminants.

Outcome: Died in committee.



Rep. Jim Truijllo, D-Santa Fe

Trujillo, a retired businessman and member of the House since 2003, is a moderate Democrat who is a dependable supporter of House Speaker Luján.

For the past few sessions, he's headed the House committee that decides on capital-outlay projects. However, because of the budget crunch of recent years, there's been much less capital-outlay money to go around. A large part of Trujillo's duties has been overseeing which inactive projects get canceled.

Trujillo, in a recent letter to constituents, pointed to several pieces of legislation he sponsored this year. The first one, House Joint Resolution 1, was a proposed constitutional amendment that would have let voters decide whether to increase the annual distributions from a permanent fund to public schools. However, in a 35-35 tie, the House failed to pass the measure.

Proposal: HB 539 would have enhanced the preferences for state vendors in the state procurement code.

Outcome: Died in committee.

Proposal: HB 273 would extend the eligibility period for the research-and-development small-business tax credit, which expired in 2009.

Outcome: Passed the House and Senate unanimously.



Rep. Rhonda King, D-Stanley

King, the niece of the late Gov. Bruce King and the cousin of Attorney General Gary King, is a quiet presence in the House, seldom speaking during floor debates. But the Stanley Democrat stood out this session by breaking ranks with the majority of her Democratic colleagues on two very emotional issues: Whether to end New Mexico's practice of giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and whether to raise the retirement age to 55 for certain state workers and public-school teachers. She also helped shepherd legislation through the Legislature to create a state health care exchange, a requirement under the nation's new health care law. King was the sponsor of that Senate bill on the House floor on the last night of the legislative session.

Proposal: HB 252 would require school district superintendents and fiscal managers of charter schools to provide quarterly reports on the financial position of their district or charter school to the local school board. It also requires the Public Education Department to develop standardized reporting forms for this purpose that would have to include a report on the budget status of the district or charter school; a statement of any budget-adjustment requests; cash reports; voucher reports, including a list of warrants and checks; procurement reports, including travel and credit-card expenses; and investment reports.

Outcome: Passed

Proposal: HB 373 would require the Human Services Department to submit to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Department of Finance and Administration a description of proposed Medicaid changes and a fiscal-impact statement that would estimate additional costs or savings from the changes.

Outcome: Passed



Rep. Jeannette Wallace, R-Los Alamos

Wallace hasn't had the same kind of presence during the 2011 legislative session as usual because of illness. But she recorded a couple of key votes. In one instance, she was one of two Republicans to vote with Democrats to settle one of the last remaining issues holding up the state budget package. The bill in question will save the state about $110 million for the budget year that starts July 1 by requiring state workers and public-school teachers to pay more into their pension plans. The House originally voted to refuse to agree with those changes, thanks in part to GOP lawmakers who disagreed with changes the Senate had made. The next day, the House reconsidered that question and by a 35-34 vote agreed to the changes, sending the bill up to the governor. Wallace changed her mind, siding with the majority on the second vote.

Proposal: House Bill 462 would extend the life of the Private Investigations Advisory Board from 2012 to 2018.

Outcome: Passed



Sen. Nancy Rodriguez, D-Santa Fe

Rodriguez is Santa Fe's longest-serving senator, having been appointed to fill the seat of the late Eddie Lopez in 1996 and winning re-election ever since. She has never been known as a vocal legislator and generally votes with her party.

Usually, Rodriguez gets passionate about one or two bills each session. This year, her main effort was a measure inspired by the January beating death of a 3-year-old Pojoaque boy, Leland Valdez. Rodriguez proposed SB 574, which would require background checks on all Children, Youth and Families Department workers and supervisors who come in direct and indirect contact with clients. The bill breezed through the Senate and then passed the House unanimously.

Proposal: SB 422 would add a surcharge to prepaid wireless services and Internet voice-communication services to increase revenue for the state 911 emergency system. The surcharge already is in place for land lines and wireless phones.

Outcome: Passed



Sen. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe

One of Wirth's highest-profile measures this session was a bill that will allow dogs to accompany their owners at outdoor restaurants, surely popular in pet-friendly Santa Fe but opposed by 17 senators. Still, SB 11 passed and is awaiting Gov. Susana Martinez's signature.

Wirth also tried again, unsuccessfully, for a measure he's becoming known for: a bill to close a tax loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to avoid paying state corporate income taxes. But SB 6 died in committee. It's a good bet he'll try again.

Vice-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Wirth is seen as a quiet but hard worker who may be in line sooner than later to head the key committee.

Proposal: SB 9 would require an extra six months of driving — and a cleaner driving record — before a teen could get a full license.

Outcome: Passed

Proposal: SB 125 would have required more scrutiny of older drivers.

Outcome: Died in committee.



Sen. Phil Griego, D-San Jose

Griego played a role in the film-program debate, working to get the state to look deeper at the much-debated tax-credit program. He also was among lawmakers who favored keeping the cap at $60 million.

As the chairman of the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee, Griego, a real-estate agent, is an increasingly influential member of a group of Senate leaders who don't seek out media attention but who happily talk to any reporter who comes by.

Proposal: SJM 15 creates an interim committee to examine the film-production tax-credit program and the State Investment Council's film-loan program, and SJM 16 reviews and studies the film programs.

Outcome: Martinez signed the measure creating the interim film committee, SJM 15. The other, SJM 16, evaluating the program, also passed the Legislature.

Proposal: SB 546 creates a new license for people who manufacture 150,000 gallons or fewer per year of spirituous liquors and allows off-site tasting of the products. The craft distiller's license would cost $750 annually.

Outcome: Passed.