Download this fact sheet (April 2023; 4 pages; pdf)- Download our post-session presentation on what happened during the 2023 legislative session (April 20, 2023; 28 slides; pdf)
- Download our policy priorities (Updated Jan. 2023; 2 pages; pdf)
- Download our tax policy priorities (Nov. 2022; 2 pages; pdf)
- Link to our blog on our policy priorities written as New Year’s resolutions
- Link to a partial list of policy wins from over the past several years on the Our Impact page
Our Policy Priorities
Family Economic Security
- Improve wages and economic supports for low-income families
- Address child hunger and strengthen food security
- Improve rental protections and address housing stability
- Modernize state constitution’s anti-donation clause to allow greater access to state funds for community-based services
Cradle-to-Career Education
- Protect the Early Childhood Trust Fund from being used for programs that do not serve young children
- Increase targeted K-12 funding through the “at-risk” index
- Increase K-12 instructional hours
- Increase funding for the Opportunity Scholarship
Healthy and Safe Communities
- Enact new measures to reduce child gun deaths and improve gun safety
- Create a Public Health and Climate Resiliency office and fund
- Require reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in statute
Tax Fairness and Budget Adequacy
- Increase the Child Tax Credit and other targeted tax credits and rebates for families earning low and moderate incomes
- Diversify and stabilize revenue and make our tax code more equitable by raising taxes at the very top and for corporations
Coalition Policy Priorities
Family Economic Security
- End debt-based driver’s license suspension
- Reduce or eliminate court fines and fees
- Increase TANF cash benefits
Cradle-to-Career Education
- Fully fund child care assistance to keep co-pays reductions for parents and pay increases for teachers
- More state accountability in responding to the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit
Healthy and Safe Communities
- Ensure full funding of Medicaid and the Developmental Disabilities Waiver
- Improve access to affordable health care coverage through the Medicaid Forward plan
- Make paid family and medical leave available to all employees
- Make prescription drugs more affordable
Human Rights and Civic Participation
- Protect and expand voting rights
What Passed
Family Economic Security
- $10 million appropriated to increase maximum TANF benefits (HB 2)
- Debt-based driver’s license suspensions ended (SB 47)
- Court fines and fees eliminated (HB 139)
- Guardianship for children in foster care improved (SB 31)
Cradle-to-Career Education
- Child care assistance and pre-K funding increased substantially (HB 2)
- Early Childhood Trust Fund protected (HB 191)
- K-12 funding for the “at-risk” index increased (HB 199 & HB 2)
- K-12 instructional hours increased (HB 130 & HB 2)
- Salaries for educational assistants raised (HB 127)
- Family Income Index funding continued (SB 3)
- Free school meals made universal (SB 4)
- Free menstrual products required in schools (HB 134)
- School-based health centers placed in statute (SB 397)
- Opportunity Scholarship funding increased (HB 2)
Healthy and Safe Communities
- Reproductive and gender-affirming health care protected (HB 7)
- Medicaid Forward study funded (HB 400)
- State health care agencies reorganized into a new Health Care Authority (SB 16)
- Safe gun storage required (HB 9)
- Straw purchases of firearms banned (HB 306)
- Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund created to provide important conservation funding (SB 9)
Tax Fairness and Budget Advocacy
- Child Tax Credit substantially increased for families struggling the most financially (HB 547)
- One-time tax rebates enacted (HB 547)
- Hundreds of millions in revenue for public programs and services protected from being utilized for expensive ‘anti-pyramiding’ tax cut carve-outs (HB 547)
Human Rights and Civic Participation
- Juvenile life sentences without possibility of parole banned (‘Second Chance bill’ SB 64)
- The age for holding a juvenile in custody raised from 11 to 12 (SB 388)
- Human Rights Act expanded to include state and school employees (HB 207)
- Voting Rights Act passed (HB 4)
What Didn’t Pass or Was Vetoed
Family Economic Security
- Minimum wage increase (HB 25)
- Improve tenant protections by extending the eviction timeline (HB 6 & SB 411)
- Remove the statewide ban to allow localities to pass rent control laws (SB 99)
- Full funding for the state Food Initiative
- Remove barriers to TANF benefits (SB 267)
- Constitutional amendment to repeal and replace state anti-donation clause (SJR 9)
Cradle-to-Career Education
- Teach affirmative consent in schools (HB 43)
- In response to the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit, require ethnic studies, improve support and equity for students with disabilities, and increase funding for tribal-led education for Native American students
Healthy and Safe Communities
- Paid family and medical leave for all employees (SB 11)
- Prescription drug price reform (HB 51)
- 14-day waiting period for gun purchase (HB 100)
- Ban on assault weapons (SB 171)
- Creation of Public Health and Climate Resiliency program and fund (HB 42 & SB 5)
- Comprehensive climate legislation to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Climate protection tax credits to promote clean, renewable energy and storage (HB 547; passed but were vetoed)
Tax Fairness and Budget Adequacy
- Personal income tax increase for the very wealthy (amended out of HB 547)
- Low-income Comprehensive Tax Rebate (LICTR) qualifications indexed for inflation (HB 547; passed but was vetoed)
- Corporate income tax improvements (SB 189 & HB 547; passed but were vetoed)
- Limiting of the regressive and inequitable capital gains deduction (HB 547; passed but was vetoed)
- Substantial alcohol and tobacco products tax increases (HB 547; small increases were passed but were vetoed)
Human Rights and Civic Participation
- Resolutions related to a paid legislature (HJR 8) and longer sessions (HJR 2 & HJR 14)