November 8, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—While the so-called super committee in our nation’s Capitol looks at slashing funding for the country’s two largest health care programs—Medicare and Medicaid—local advocates point out that the majority of New Mexico voters would disapprove of such a measure.

The poll, which was conducted by Research and Polling, Inc., for six advocacy groups, shows that the vast majority of voters (83 percent) believe Medicaid is important to residents in New Mexico with 66 percent saying Medicaid is very important. Medicaid is the health program for the disabled, seniors in nursing homes, low-income children, and impoverished families. The majority (59 percent) of voters do not believe there should be any reductions in Medicaid spending as a way to reduce the federal debt.

“Cutting Medicaid would have dire consequences for New Mexico. One in four New Mexicans relies on the program for health care and federal funds for Medicaid sustain more than 50,000 jobs in our state, mostly in the private health care sector,” said Sireesha Manne, health care attorney for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, one of the groups that commissioned the poll.

Cuts to Medicare, the health program for seniors, scored even lower with likely voters as a way to reduce the federal debt. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of New Mexico voters do not believe there should be any reductions in Medicare, while 24 percent believe there should be minor reductions in spending. Just 5 percent feel there should be major reductions.

“New Mexicans strongly support Medicare,” said Mike Donnelly, State Director for AARP New Mexico, another of the groups that commissioned the poll. “We urge our congressional delegation to vote against any super committee plan to cut this vital health care program for our seniors,” he added. 

“These programs are especially critical as health care coverage becomes increasingly unaffordable,” added Manne. The poll shows that 80 percent of New Mexicans believe that the costs of health care are a concern facing the state’s residents, with 57 percent listing costs as a “serious concern.”

The six groups that commissioned the poll are AARP New Mexico, AFSCME, AFT-NM, New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, New Mexico Voices for Children, and St. Joseph Community Health. 

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here (pdf)

Education sector saw employment decline of 5 percent

November 1, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—New Mexico’s public schools are having to do more with less money—5 percent less than they had last year. The drop in funding has led to a 5 percent decline in public education jobs. To exacerbate the issue, student enrollment has increased over the last three years.

These are some of the main conclusions in a report, Funding Public Schools in New Mexico in the Great Recession, released through New Mexico Voices for Children’s Fiscal Policy Project.

“The bottom has dropped out of the state’s public education budget,” said Gerry Bradley, NM Voices’ Research Director and the report’s author. “Even though state funding for public schools has been in decline for several years, it was replaced by increased federal funds via the federal stimulus package of 2009. But that funding is now gone and lawmakers chose not to make it up by putting any new revenue measures in place,” he added.

One reason that K-12 funding is so precarious in New Mexico is that a much larger percentage of the overall budget comes from general fund revenues than in most states. Almost all other states rely more heavily on property taxes for funding public education.

“Property taxes tend to be ‘sticky’ in a recession,” said Bradley, “meaning the revenue doesn’t decline the way revenue from income and sales taxes does. But about half of our total K-12 education expenditures come out of our general fund budget, which relies very heavily on income and sales taxes.”

The report recommends that, in the absence of greatly increased revenues, the Legislature should raise new revenue next year rather than continue to cut K-12 funding.

The report is available online at: http://www.nmvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/public-school-funding-in-recession-10-11.pdf

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here. (pdf)

MEDIA STATEMENT
Friday, October 28, 2011

ALBUQUERQUE—Governor Martinez announced today that she will be restoring a portion of funding to early childhood programs that had previously been cut during the state’s budget deficit. Approximately 1,300 children will come off of the waiting list for child care assistance with this new funding (there are currently more than 6,000 children on the child care assistance waiting list). Governor Martinez also announced that the 4 percent cut that was imposed on child care providers last year will end on January 1, 2012.

Bill Jordan, Policy Director of New Mexico Voices for Children, praised the news saying, “This is a great step in the right direction. We applaud the governor’s action to provide additional funding for child care assistance. With thousands of low-income families on a waiting list for help in paying for child care, and dozens of child care centers closing their doors in the last year, this is very welcome news. Child care is a vital support for working parents, who have been struggling to make ends meet in this difficult economy. We are grateful to Secretary Deines and the governor for this action, and look forward to working with the governor’s administration and the legislature to help New Mexico’s youngest children and their parents get access to the high quality early education they need.”

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this media statement here. (pdf)

October 14, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—Eric Griego is stepping down as Executive Director of the nonprofit research and advocacy organization New Mexico Voices for Children. The announcement came today from the organization’s Board Chair Anne Simpson, M.D. Griego recently announced that he is running for Congress in New Mexico’s first congressional district.

 “Eric has been an outstanding leader of New Mexico Voices, and an unwavering champion of our state’s children and families,” Dr. Simpson said. “He has helped build a strong organization with a great team of analysts, researchers, and advocates, and the organization’s good work will continue in their able hands.”

Griego took over as head of NM Voices in July of 2007, and has led the organization’s strategic efforts to promote health care for all children, a state budget that prioritizes children and families, and an early childhood initiative that seeks a long-term funding stream for investing in children from birth through third grade.

“It has been a deep honor and privilege to lead this incredible organization over the past four years,” Griego said. “This is the most fulfilling job I have ever had and I hope to continue to work on behalf of New Mexico’s children and families.”

The Board of Directors has appointed Troy Martinez, the organization’s Chief Operating Officer, as interim Executive Director. The Board will begin a search for a new Executive Director next month.

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 New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here (pdf)

October 12, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—Most states are having trouble adequately funding programs that help low-income parents pay for the child care they need in order to work. However, New Mexico was the only state to reduce its child care assistance reimbursement rate this year, according to a study released yesterday.

The study, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2011: Reduced Support for Families in Challenging Times, concludes that New Mexico reimburses child care providers at approximately 40 percent below the market value.

“This means that a child care center that usually charge $750 a month will only get paid $422 a month if they agree to take a child receiving state child care assistance,” said Myra Segal, Deputy Policy Director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “The end result is that it is very difficult for centers to provide at-risk children with high quality care because centers have a difficult time operating their business at these low reimbursement rates,” she added.

A separate report released two weeks ago concluded that a typical child development center in New Mexico is losing more than $77,000 in revenue per year due to the state’s cuts. As a result, 10 percent of New Mexico’s child care centers have gone out of business, which has meant the loss of jobs and economic activity. That report, Early Education on the Brink, was released by Olé Working Parents Association and Early Educators United. Because of budget cuts, there are now more than 6,000 children on the waiting list for child care assistance.

“These two reports highlight a growing problem that affects far more than just working parents. Children who do not receive high quality care are far less likely to get the developmental support they need in order to succeed when they start school—and that has negative consequences throughout their entire lives. Society ends up paying more down the line in terms of higher school remediation and criminal justice costs,” Segal said.

State Child Care Assistance Policies 2011, released by the National Women’s Law Center, is available online at http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/state_child_care_assistance_policies_report2011_final.pdf

Olé’s Early Education on the Brink report is available online at http://www.olenm.org/node/763

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here (pdf)

September 22, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—The poverty rate for New Mexico climbed by two percentage points between 2009 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which released new data from its American Community Survey today. During this same time frame, the employment rate decreased by two percentage points.

The poverty rate for New Mexico went from 18 percent to just over 20 percent, while employment—specifically the rate of persons over the age of 16 who have a job—fell from 56 to 54 percent.

Median household income fell almost $1,000 during that time period—even when adjusted for inflation. The rate of New Mexicans without health insurance—at about 20 percent—showed no significant change, but there were other trends in health insurance coverage. A higher percentage of New Mexicans are getting their health insurance from the public sector while a smaller percentage is getting it from the private sector.

“What these health insurance numbers are telling us is that New Mexicans who receive health insurance through their private-sector employers are losing that coverage when those jobs disappear or their employers drop coverage to save money,” said Gerry Bradley, Research Director for NM Voices for Children. “On the other hand, those who now qualify for Medicare because they fell into deep poverty are able to receive health insurance benefits regardless of how the economy is faring.”

According to Bradley, the worsening economic trends are due to the ongoing recession.

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here (pdf)

Federal dollars for health care reform will bring in millions more in tax revenue than state will spend

August 26, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—New Mexico will come out millions of dollars ahead when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is fully implemented in 2014. The Act will bring in between $6 and $8 billion in federal funding for the expansion of Medicaid between 2014 and 2020. The NM Human Services Department has estimated that it will cost the state as much as $797 million for the expansion during those years. But a new report, released today by New Mexico Voices for Children, shows that the state will take in as much as $1.2 billion in new tax revenue from the economic activity generated by the new federal Medicaid funding, tax credits and premium subsidies.

“We’ve demonstrated for years that Medicaid is an economic engine for New Mexico—despite the current administration’s claim that it is ‘unsustainable,’” said Bill Jordan, Policy Director for NM Voices. “When Medicaid is expanded under the Affordable Care Act in 2014, our economy will get an even bigger boost. The new tax revenue will more than cover the state’s cost for the Medicaid expansion,” he added.

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) released this statement: “This report offers further evidence that the Affordable Care Act is very good for the people of our state. Right now, nearly one in four New Mexicans lack basic health care coverage. The Affordable Care Act provides New Mexico with billions of dollars to reduce that number significantly and that, in turn, will help bring down the cost of health care for all of us.”

The extent of the new economic activity is laid out in a companion report, “The Economic Benefits of Health Care Reform in New Mexico,” which NM Voices released earlier this summer. That report estimated between 38,000 and 47,000 jobs will be created by the federal dollars, bringing the state between $1.6 and $2.1 billion in economic activity.

The ACA will also reduce the net federal deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades.

The new report, “The Tax Revenue Benefits of Health Care Reform in New Mexico,” was released today when the report’s author, Kelly O’Donnell, Ph.D., testified for the Legislature’s Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy (RSTP) Committee meeting. The report is available online at http://www.nmvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Tax-rev-benefits-of-aca-8-11.pdf.

Dr. O’Donnell served as Superintendent of the NM Regulation and Licensing Department and Deputy Cabinet Secretary of the NM Economic Development Department.

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here (pdf)

Foreclosures, parental unemployment affecting New Mexico children

August 17, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—Recent data confirms that the current recession has had a negative impact on America’s children, and New Mexico’s kids are no exception. Across the country—and here in New Mexico—the percentage of children living in poverty and in single-parent households has risen. Since 2007, 17,000 New Mexico children have been affected by foreclosure, and the unemployment rate for parents has almost tripled. This effectively erases the economic gains made since the late 1990s.

These are the conclusions of the 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a report released annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The report ranks states based on ten indicators of child well-being—such as the rates of child poverty, infant mortality, and teen births, among others. This year’s report also includes new data reflecting the effects of the recession on children. For a second year in a row, New Mexico ranks 46^th—meaning only four other states did worse.

“The fact that our ranking hasn’t changed doesn’t mean things have stayed the same for our kids – it just means that the global recession is having a negative impact on children across the country,” said Bill Jordan, Policy Director for NM Voices for Children, which runs NM KIDS COUNT.

“When the economy tanks those people who are already vulnerable suffer the most,” he added. “That means families that aren’t on economically stable ground because of the challenges they already face have the fewest resources to weather a downturn.”

The KIDS COUNT Data Book suggests a two-generation approach to improving child well-being across the country: help parents put their families on a path to economic success, while enhancing children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development from birth by investing in health and early childhood care and education programs.

“Child poverty is in many ways a bellwether for the well-being of society as a whole,” said Christine Hollis, NM KIDS COUNT Program Director. “Research has shown us time and again that children who grow up in poverty face greater challenges to becoming successful adults able to make a contribution to the community. Due to the disadvantages they face, they are less likely to do well in school, which does not bode well for our future workforce. With fully one-quarter of New Mexico’s children at risk, we have to ask ourselves what kind of future quality of life we can all expect if we do not intervene,” she added.

The report does have some good news for New Mexico, however. Even though the percentage of New Mexico children affected by foreclosure has doubled from 2007 to 2009, our foreclosure rate (3.2%) is still lower than the national average (5.5%).

“The state Legislature put some protections in place for homeowners several years back that has helped keep our foreclosure rate down,” said Jordan.

The entire KIDS COUNT report is available online at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/databook/2011

The New Mexico fact sheet is attached as a pdf and is also available at http://datacenter.kidscount.org/databook/2011/profiles

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KIDS COUNT is a program of New Mexico Voices for Children and is made possible by grants from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to
improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here.

Child and community advocates to be honored at Spirit of Hope Celebration

ALBUQUERQUE—Nominations are being sought for the Third Annual Alice King Public Service Award and the First Annual Patty Jennings and Polly Arango Citizen Advocacy Award. The winners of the awards will be honored at New Mexico Voices for Children’s Spirit of Hope Celebration in September at the Rio Grande Zoo.

The Alice King Public Service Award honors a public leader who has demonstrated throughout their career an outstanding commitment to and service for New Mexico’s children and families. The Patty Jennings and Polly Arango Citizen Advocacy Award is presented to a New Mexican who has demonstrated outstanding community service and civic engagement in advocating for New Mexico children and communities.

Alice King was New Mexico’s beloved First Lady while her husband, former Governor Bruce King, served three terms in office and is credited with the establishment of the state’s Children, Youth and Families Department.

Patty Jennings, the late wife of state Senate President Pro Tem Tim Jennings, was an advocate for early intervention, special education, and other services for children with special needs, and was instrumental in the creation of the NM Medical Insurance Pool.

Polly Arango, beloved mother and long-time member of the NM Voices Board of Directors, was a passionate advocate for special needs children and their families. Polly believed in the power of personal stories to communicate with policy-makers, and was a successful advocate as well as founder of Family Voices and Parents Reaching Out. Polly and Patty often worked in tandem to make New Mexico a better place for children.

Patty Jennings passed away in early 2009, and the Patty Jennings Citizen Advocacy Award was inaugurated that same year. Polly Arango passed away in 2010. Rather than creating a separate award in Polly’s name, the Jennings and Arango families requested that the women be honored together.

Nomination deadline for both awards is 3pm on Friday, August 12, 2011. The awards will be presented at the Spirit of Hope Celebration, on Saturday, September 24, 2011, at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque.

Nomination criteria and forms, as well as submission instructions and online submission portal, are available online at www.nmvoices.org. Forms are also available at NM Voices during regular office hours at 2340 Alamo Ave. SE, Suite 120, in Albuquerque. Call 505-244-9505 for more information.

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities.
2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here.

Influx of federal funding will create nearly 40,000 jobs when Act is fully implemented

June 14, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBUQUERQUE—Federal health care reform, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), will generate more than $18 billion in economic activity in New Mexico by 2020. That economic activity will include the creation of 38,000 jobs—in the health care sector and beyond.

That’s the conclusion of the report “The Economic Benefits of Health Care Reform in New Mexico” by New Mexico Voices for Children. The report is being released today in conjunction with the meeting of the Legislature’s interim Health and Human Services committee.

“The key message here is that New Mexico should take full advantage of health care reform not only as a means of extending health coverage to those who cannot currently afford it, but also as a way of strengthening the economy and putting more New Mexicans to work,” said Bill Jordan, Policy Director for NM Voices.

“The state Legislature has been very good about funding our Medicaid program even when times have been tough. It’s especially important now that we sustain our commitment to children, seniors, and the disabled,” he added.

The report uses the same modeling software to estimate the economic impact of federal spending that NM Voices has used in previous reports on the impact of federal dollars via the Medicaid and Food Stamp programs.

The full report is attached as a pdf and is available online here.

This report was generously funded by First Focus, Voices for America’s Children, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The use of IMPLAN software was made possible by funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of our State Fiscal Analysis Initiative (SFAI) work.

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New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, Albuquerque, NM 87106-3523; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org

Download this press release here. (pdf)