NEW MEXICO (KRQE) –The New Mexico State Ethics Commission announced Monday that it reached a settlement agreement with New Mexico Safety Over Profit , resolving allegations that New Mexico Safety Over Profit failed to comply with provisions of the Lobbyist Regulation Act.
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“This settlement is a significant outcome, not only for the State Ethics
Commission, but for every New Mexican whose trust in the legislative process
depends on transparency and fairness,” Amelia Bierle, deputy director of the
State Ethics Commission stated in a news release. “NMSOP’s decision to settle rather than test its claims in court reflects the strength of the Commission’s position. The people of New
Mexico have a right to know who is trying to shape public policy in our state, and
this case demonstrates the Lobbyist Regulation Act working as intended—
requiring organizations that conduct lobbying-related advertising campaigns to
register and disclose their spending and funding sources.”
The commission claimed NMSOP spent at least $56,000 in 2024 on advertising aimed at influencing legislation regarding medical malpractice reform, but refused to register its advertising campaign or disclose its sources of funding.
NMSOP’s 2024 advertising campaign included full-page newspaper ads and a months-long series of targeted digital s on Facebook and Instagram.
NMSOP previously said that as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, it is not obligated to disclose its donors or lobbying expenditures. The commission refuted that, saying that an organization’s federal tax status has no bearing on its disclosure requirements under New Mexico’s Lobbyist Regulation Act or Campaign Reporting Act.
The key terms of the agreement, all of which NMSOP has completed, were outlined by the commission below:
NMSOP provided the commission, in an electronic spreadsheet, a full
disclosure of all contributions and pledges to contribute made to NMSOP
and Fairness for New Mexico Patients between April 1, 2024 and June 24,
2025.
2NMSOP disclosed all expenditures and commitments to expend made from
April 1, 2024 to January 1, 2025, for issue education campaigns related to
medical malpractice reform and advertising campaigns for the purpose of
lobbying against medical malpractice reform—including payments made to
Meta, J&Z Strategies, and various news outlets.NMSOP made a $5,000 payment to the State of New Mexico.
NMSOP filed with the Secretary of State the appropriate forms to register
and report its 2024 advertising campaign.Upon request, NMSOP voluntarily disclosed to the commission a complete
list of contributors to NMSOP (previously named Fairness for New Mexico
Patients), exceeding the disclosure obligations of the settlement agreement.
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