House Rules Committee just adjourned minutes ago from yet another contentious meeting over live Web cams in committee hearings, necessitated by
by Rep.
, R-Bernalillo.
House Speaker Ben Lujan took a shot at blogger Heath Haussamen for indicating that Lujan was totally against the practice.
"Let me say it simply," Lujan told the committee. "I'm not personally against it, [despite] what a Las Cruces blogger wrote."
Concerns on the committee ranged from distraction caused by roving cameras to the lengths of time members of the public might indulge in if they know they've got an audience. Others pointed out that there's really no difference between Web casting and letting the media (the New Mexican's Kate Nash was given a nod) record proceedings.
But Lujan's final plea for crafting strict rules for Web casting was a bit cryptic:
"We need to make sure there are the necessary safe guards, that there is openness and transparent, in a manner not to embarrass, ridicule or use for political purpose against a single member on either side of the aisle."
If that provision comes up, let's call it the Anti-Daily Show amendment. Members couldn't get Lujan to commit to a time frame for setting the committee - but every day that gos by is another day folks across the state don't get to how their elected officials are representing them.
By the way, I ran a google-image search of "Web cam" to find clip art and learned that no, the state Legislature's network does not ban users from looking at pornography.
Santa Fe Reporter