Lawsuit Filed by New Mexico Ethics Commission to Force Disclosure of Donors by Targeted Group
In the Heart of Santa Fe, a Battle over Transparency
SANTA FE - The New Mexico Ethics Commission has launched a lawsuit against a local group accused of hiding its donors following a campaign against changes to the state's medical malpractice laws. The organization, New Mexico Safety Over Profit, has been a vocal advocate on this issue but faces criticism for keeping its financial backers under wraps.
This nonprofit, one of numerous organizations engaging in political advocacy, has refused to disclose its donors, expenditures, and other details concerning its advertising campaign, which included newspaper ads and social media posts. The Ethics Commission sees this as a breach of the public's right to know who's orchestrating lobbying campaigns. Executive Director Jeremy Farris stated in a recent press release, "New Mexicans have the right to identify the entities funding lobbying initiatives, enabling citizens and their representatives to assess the credibility of such campaigns more effectively."
The lawsuit aims to ensure all groups involved in advocacy or lobbying for legislative action are held to the same standards. However, New Mexico Safety Over Profit's Executive Director, Jon Lipshutz, expressed confidence that the group has complied with New Mexico's campaign finance laws. He called the lawsuit a "distraction," citing the influence of out-of-state hospital corporations and insurance interests seeking to manipulate healthcare policy behind closed doors.
Curiously, Lipshutz is also the campaign manager for Sam Bregman, the District Attorney of Bernalillo County, now running for governor. New Mexico Safety Over Profit, based in Albuquerque, positions itself as an association of individuals and families harmed by big corporations, institutions, or profit-driven systems. However, details regarding the group's members have been withheld, according to a report by Searchlight New Mexico.
The Ethics Commission's lawsuit, filed in Albuquerque's state court, stems from the group's refusal to register its lobbying campaign with the Secretary of State’s Office and disclose both its contributors and expenditures. The state Lobbyist Regulation Act requires organizations engaging in advertising campaigns aimed at influencing legislation to follow these regulations for transparency and accountability.
Political spending disputes are not unfamiliar in New Mexico, with previous conflicts leading to increased disclosure from independent expenditure groups. Nonprofit groups can, in some cases, distribute educational materials without disclosing their donors, which has complicates matters.
New Mexico’s medical malpractice laws have become a contentious political issue in recent years, amid a persistent healthcare provider shortage. Critics argue that the state's current laws have driven up legal insurance costs significantly. Proposals to alter these laws have failed to gain traction in the democratic-controlled Legislature, with a bill seeking to limit attorney's fees in medical malpractice cases stalling in its first Senate committee this year amid opposition from trial lawyers and patients harmed by medical malpractice.
Despite this, lawmakers did approve separate legislation granting state regulators the power to approve or reject proposed hospital mergers and acquisitions.
- The Ethics Commission's lawsuit against New Mexico Safety Over Profit, a group advocating for medical malpractice laws, highlights the importance of transparency in advertising campaigns and policy-and-legislation, as the organization has refused to disclose its donors, expenditures, and other details.
- The lawsuit sheds light on the general-news issue of political spending disputes in New Mexico, as nonprofit groups can distribute educational materials without disclosing their donors, which complicates matters.
- In this battle over transparency, the refusal of New Mexico Safety Over Profit to register its lobbying campaign with the Secretary of State’s Office and disclose its contributors and expenditures is seen as a breach of the public's right to know.
- Interestingly, the Executive Director of New Mexico Safety Over Profit, Jon Lipshutz, is also the campaign manager for Sam Bregman, a candidate in the governor elections, raising questions about the group's motivation and ties to politics.
