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SANTA FE — New Mexico has a state bird, flower, fish, tree, fossil, cookie and even a state question: Red or green? - chile, of course.

So why not a state tie?

A Republican lawmaker from Corrales has introduced a bill to make the bolo the state tie of New Mexico.

Sen. Steve Komadina says he did so at the request of a constituent who is "passionate about the cause."

Komadina is a longtime fan as well. He has a collection of the neckwear - including one in the shape of a llama because he raises the animals - and even wears one with his tux.

Komadina says the bolo, a string tie with an ornamental fastener at the neck, is the perfect symbol of tricultural New Mexico, with its Hispanic, American Indian and white influences.

"I think it says to the world that we're from New Mexico," Komadina said.

A physician, he had a bolo made in Nepal decades ago when he was running a medical clinic there for Tibetan refugees. It featured the symbol of the University of New Mexico medical school.

"I was the only person wearing bolo ties in Katmandu," he recalled.

Komadina picked up an immediate ally in Sen. John Ryan, an Albuquerque Republican who got in trouble for his bolo during his first session in 2005.

While the Senate allows its members to wear bolos on the Senate floor during sessions, the House doesn't. Regular ties are required.

When Ryan showed up at the House chamber for a joint legislative session, he was refused entry. He had to borrow a tie from a staffer to get in.

The House has changed its rules for joint sessions only, and Ryan wore a bolo to Gov. Bill Richardson's opening address on Tuesday.

"I think they dress up an outfit," Ryan said.

The Legislature passed a nonbinding memorial in 1987 declaring the bolo New Mexico's official neckwear. Komadina's bill would put the bolo into law.