A Guide to Legislative Advocacy in New Mexico
Learn the ins and outs of working with your legislators to promote a policy or cause that is important to you or your community. (A Fiscal Policy Project publication)
Apr 19
2021
Mar 30
2021
New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham Signs Bill Eliminating Fines & Fees for Children
“Virtually all of incarcerated youth in New Mexico – 99% – have experienced some form of trauma that influenced their decision making,” said Javier Rojo, Research and Policy Analyst with New Mexico Voices for Children. “Tacking court-ordered costs onto an already traumatic experience only adds stress to their lives. The elimination of fines and fees is a big step forward in creating a more just system that focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment.”
Mar 28
2021
Child tax credit will have massive footprint in NM
“One of the nice things about doing something like the child tax credit is the notion that families know best on how to support their needs,” he said. “When you use a tax credit model, it puts the money and the decision power back in the hands of the families.”
Mar 26
2021
State and federal child tax credits improve equity for children of color in the state
Because 75 percent of New Mexico’s children are children of color and a disproportionate share of people of color live below the poverty level, the new tax credits that families will be able to collect will bring greater equity to New Mexico families and children of color, Jimenez said. “Tax policy is not race neutral,” he said.
Mar 26
2021
New Mexico schools expand in-person learning
“I can’t think of anything in my career that will have the impact on children that this bill will have. And, and I think it’s going to be incumbent upon all of us to follow through and follow the lives of these kids, and hold up the success stories that this creates,” said Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich on Thursday in a presentation alongside education advocates highlighting the Act.
Mar 25
2021
Sen. Heinrich, Advocates Praise American Rescue Plan, Expand on its Impact for New Mexico Families
All of the speakers touched on the enormous reach of the ARPA and expressed the hope that the Child Tax Credit portion is made permanent. “This is such a far-reaching investment in our children,” said Jimenez. “Advocates like to say that a budget is a moral document. This is a moral statement about the importance of investing in our children.”
Mar 25
2021
New Mexico enacts tougher emissions rules on oil and gas, calls for 98 percent gas capture
“We must not allow the oil and gas industry’s outsized impact on our state budget and economy to be an excuse to ignore the detrimental effects of fossil fuel dependency on our climate, our air quality, and the health of our families,” Jimenez said. “The final OCC rule banning routine venting and flaring is a good start.”
Mar 25
2021
How the American Rescue Plan Will Help New Mexico
Fact Sheet The American Rescue Plan Act will help New Mexico in a number of ways - income supports, housing and food assistance for families, and education and health care assistance for the state, cities, counties, and Tribes. This fact sheet looks specifically at how children of color - who have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic - will be helped. (State-level estimates, some by race and ethnicity, on how many people will be impacted)
Mar 22
2021
Lottery Scholarship funding measure headed to gov’s desk
“The lottery-based scholarships that are being provided are not addressing where the real need is,” James Jimenez, the executive director of NM Voices, said. “For a child of color born in New Mexico, there's a higher chance that child will live in poverty than a white child ... I think we need to do a much better job of directing aid toward families of color, (and) more specifically, low to moderate income families.”
Mar 15
2021
A Guide to New Mexico’s State Budget: Executive Summary
Executive summary Our state budget is a reflection of what we value most and an illustration of the kind of communities we wish to create. How we spend and allocate funding – basically, how we make our values a reality – is decided by the lawmakers we elect to represent us in Santa Fe. They create the annual budget that the state uses to provide services that benefit us collectively, like education and health care. (Link to the full Guide to New Mexico's State Budget here)