For some time now, New Mexico has been in the midst of a child care crisis. A tough economy led to this crisis but a lack of leadership from Santa Fe has made it worse. Over the last year, lawmakers have drastically cut the amount of child care assistance available to low-income working parents, while increasing their co-pays by 10%.
The most notable thing about the recently finished 60-day legislative session is not what was signed or not signed by the Governor. It was also not what passed and didn’t pass. Much more interesting are the bills that were never even given a fair hearing. Most – if not all – of the bills that would have raised revenues to share the pain of the current fiscal crisis were never allowed to come to a full vote in either chamber.
It’s deeply disappointing that the Governor decided to veto SB 38/370, which the Legislature passed to create a New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange. The exchange would have been a web-based marketplace where individuals and small employers could compare different private insurance policies before they purchase.
So what happened with all that transparency and accountability the new Governor was touting during the campaign? The Legislature stepped up and passed numerous bills that would improve transparency and accountability in state government and the only one she signed required more oversight for the burgeoning film industry. All of the measures that would have provided more oversight within state government were vetoed.
If you’re one of those folks trying to balance a job while getting a college education, filing your federal income tax forms probably hasn’t been a huge priority. But there is still time to file and there are several reasons students should file – even if they owe no income tax.
Unemployment insurance kept the state’s economy from collapsing during a time of ballooning unemployment. But that’s just one reason for keeping this program solvent. It’s also good for local businesses.
The New Mexico Legislature is to be commended for sparing Medicaid serious cuts in the coming fiscal year (FY12). They did this despite the governor’s determination not to permit any revenue increases. Medicaid for kids – called New Mexikids – covers more New Mexico children than any other health insurance program. Without it, more than 300,000 children from low-income families would be without health care.