Get Those Reports In!

A couple of unsuccessful legislative candidates, as well as a political action committee used to help Javier Gonzales re-elected as state Democratic Party chairman last spring found out this week that they're going to have to pay the state at least $850 for not filing their campaign finance reports on time last week.

I wrote a story about that in today's New Mexican.

According to state law, the fine for not filing on time is $50 a work day, up to the maximum of $5,000. The reports were due on Oct. 11.

Ken Ortiz, chief of staff for Secretary of State Diana Duran, told me that it's not clear whether this law actually has been enforced before.

There could be some significantly larger fines coming down the road. Ortiz said he's sending letters to 40-50 candidates who have failed to file multiple reports in recent years. Stay tuned.