Is there a website that weekly lists the productivity of Southwest Louisiana state and federal representatives and congressmen?

Several websites — including www.legis.la.gov, www.congress.gov and www.votesmart.org — allow users to track the progress of state and federal legislation and check lawmakers’ voting records.

To view the legislative records of state lawmakers, visit the Legislature’s website and click “Bills” to do a search, or select the “House,” “Senate” or “Legislators” tab and choose a lawmaker via the subsequent tabs and links.

Additionally, the site features legislation records, which include the different versions of the bills and the text of any amendments, along with bill summaries and lists of votes cast.

The congressional website offers similar options, including search filters to help users narrow the results of their queries.

Project Vote Smart, a nonpartisan political information clearinghouse, offers users even more options — including politicians’ positions on various issues and how interest groups rate their performance.

The site also provides information on lawmakers’ public statements and their campaign funding.

As for measuring legislators’ productivity, The Informer would note that “productivity” in this context can’t be objectively defined: Is it to be gauged by the amount of sponsored legislation, by attendance, by which bills lawmakers support, by how often they meet with constituents, by committee membership, by their partisanship or lack thereof?

After all, what some voters would consider productive, others might see as lackadaisical or even overreaching.

NM law contains no-limit statute

Many stores send circulars in the newspaper and in the mail that list items on sale.

Many will say two or three items of a product for X amount, and some state a limit on how many you can purchase at that price. Below that statement, many stores (and many different products) say, “No limit in N.M.”

What does New Mexico have, or not have, different from other states?

New Mexico has the following law, in Chapter 57 of its state statutes:

“It is unlawful for any merchant to advertise or offer for sale any item of merchandise with a limitation upon the number of the item that any retail purchaser may purchase at the advertised price. It is further unlawful for any merchant offering or advertising any item of merchandise in his place of business at any given price to refuse to sell to any prospective retail purchaser for cash the whole or any part of his stock of such item at such price. However, this section shall not be applicable to a purchaser purchasing for resale.”

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Online: www.nmcompcomm.us.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.