A. The secretary may promulgate rules for state agencies and local public bodies for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Per Diem and Mileage Act [10-8-1 to 10-8-8 NMSA 1978]. Public officials of public post-secondary educational institutions and employees of public post-secondary educational institutions shall be subject to the rules of their governing boards.
B. Public funds may be advanced to any public officer or employee before the travel occurs only with prior written approval of the secretary, the secretary's designee, the local public body or the governing board or its designee. This restriction shall not prohibit the use of authorized credit cards in connection with purchases necessary to the use of vehicles owned by the state, a local public body or a public post-secondary educational institution or for food, lodging or transportation as permitted by the department of finance and administration or the governing board. Public funds shall be paid out under the Per Diem and Mileage Act only upon vouchers duly presented with any required receipts attached thereto. For employees authorized to receive public funds in advance of travel, payment shall be received only upon vouchers submitted with attached authorization for each travel period. For public officers or employees using authorized credit cards, vouchers with required receipts for each month's travel expenses shall be submitted as a condition to receiving authorization to use the credit card for the next month's travel. Travel expenses may also be advanced if the travel is to be performed under provisions of federal or private contracts and the funds used are not derived from taxes or revenues paid to the state or any of its political subdivisions.
C. The secretary may reduce the rates set for the per diem and mileage for any class of public officials and for employees of state agencies, except public officials of public post-secondary educational institutions, at any time the secretary deems it to be in the public interest, and such reduction shall not be construed to permit payment of any other compensation, perquisite or allowance. The secretary shall exercise this power of reduction in a reasonable manner and shall attempt to achieve a standard rate for all public officers and employees of the same classification. The secretary may, at the request of any state agency and for good cause shown, reduce the rates of per diem and mileage for that state agency. The governing body of any local public body may eliminate or may reduce the rates set for the per diem and mileage for all or any class of public officials and employees of the local public body at any time the local public body deems it to be in the public interest, and such reduction shall not be construed to permit payment of any other compensation, perquisite or allowance. The local public body shall exercise this power of reduction in a reasonable manner and shall attempt to achieve a standard rate for all public officers and employees of the same classification. The secretary may, in extraordinary circumstances and with the prior approval of the state board of finance in public meeting, allow actual expenses rather than the per diem rates set in the Per Diem and Mileage Act.
D. The governing board or its designee may reduce the rates set for the per diem and mileage for public officials of public post-secondary educational institutions and for employees of public post-secondary educational institutions at any time the governing board deems it to be in the public interest, and such reduction shall not be construed to permit payment of any other compensation, perquisite or allowance. The governing board shall exercise this power of reduction in a reasonable manner and shall attempt to achieve a standard rate for public officers and employees of public post-secondary educational institutions. The governing board may reduce the rates of per diem and mileage for its public post-secondary educational institution and may, in extraordinary circumstances and in public meeting, allow actual expenses rather than the per diem rates set in the Per Diem and Mileage Act.
E. No reimbursement for out-of-state travel shall be paid to any elected public officer, including any member of the legislature, if after the last day to do so that officer has not filed a declaration of candidacy for reelection to the public officer's currently held office or has been defeated for reelection to the public officer's currently held office in a primary election or any general election.
F. Subsection E of this section does not apply to any elected public officer who is ineligible to serve another term after serving the public officer's term in office.
G. Subsection E of this section does not apply to legislators whose travel has been approved by a three-fourths' vote of the New Mexico legislative council at a regularly called meeting.
H. Any person who is not an employee, appointee or elected official of a county or municipality and who is reimbursed under the provisions of the Per Diem and Mileage Act in an amount that singly or in the aggregate exceeds one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) in any one year shall not be entitled to further reimbursement under the provisions of that act until the person furnishes in writing to the person's department head or, in the case of a department head or board or commission member, to the governor or, in the case of a member of the legislature, to the New Mexico legislative council an itemized statement on each separate instance of travel covered within the reimbursement, the place to which traveled and the executive, judicial or legislative purpose served by the travel.
History: 1953 Comp., § 5-10-3.1, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 184, § 4; 1979, ch. 273, § 4; 1984, ch. 29, § 3; 1989, ch. 338, § 3; 1990, ch. 67, § 1; 1995, ch. 209, § 1; 2018, ch. 27, § 2.
Cross references. — For payment of travel expenses upon public vouchers, see 6-5-8 NMSA 1978.
The 2018 amendment, effective January 1, 2019, removed the provision relating to money expended by the governor from the appropriations made for the office of governor to pay for expenses connected with obligations of the elected office of governor, and made technical changes; in the catchline, deleted "regulations" and added "rules"; in Subsection A, after "promulgate rules", deleted "and regulations", and after "subject to the rules", deleted "and regulations"; deleted former Subsection C and redesignated former Subsections D through I as Subsections C through H, respectively; in Subsection F, after "Subsection", deleted "F" and added "E", and after "ineligible to", deleted "succeed himself" and added "serve another term"; and in Subsection G, after "Subsection", deleted "F" and added "E".
The 1995 amendment, effective June 16, 1995, in Subsection C, added the proviso at the end of the first sentence, and added the second sentence.
Nonsalaried public officers. — Nonsalaried public officers, including state highway commissioners, may receive the statutory per diem allowance for each day on which public business involving the requisite travel is performed without regard to the number of hours actually expended while away from place of residence and personal business premises in the performance of public duties. 1977 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 77-20.
Reducing rates. — A state agency may reduce rates of per diem and mileage for that state agency to an amount less than that specified in the Per Diem and Mileage Act, subject to the prior approval of the director (now secretary) of the department of finance and administration. 1977 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 77-20.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 67 C.J.S. Officers and Public Employees §§ 224, 225.