KOAT TV--It’s an idea that’s dividing pundits. Some saying that it would lower taxes for all New Mexicans, while others say that it would hurt New Mexico’s most vulnerable. “It’s going to be bad for children and bad for families.”
Albuquerque Journal--Like the Albuquerque Journal editorial board, we envision a New Mexico where the economy and quality of life are as wonderful as the scenery, cultural traditions and local food. We want a New Mexico where more people have the knowledge and skills needed to earn family-sustaining wages, where businesses are born and flourish, and where crime and drug use are a scourge of the past. We believe everyone is better off when no one is left behind. As optimists, we believe such a New Mexico is possible. As realists, we know it will take hard work and strategic investments.
Carlsbad Current-Argus--Seven percent of births in New Mexico in 2014 were reportedly to mothers who smoked during their pregnancy, according to the KIDS COUNT data center. Smoking during pregnancy is one form of secondhand smoking and can cause a baby to be born early and have a low birth weight, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
Carlsbad Current-Argus--Patrick "P.J." Munoz was 5 years old when he died on August 12, 1991, in Albuquerque. His father was charged in 1993 after investigators accused him of killing his son. Patrick would have turned 30 on May 5, said his uncle, Adam P. Munoz III. Munoz held a sign of his nephew's name and face during the annual Walk Against Child Abuse on Friday in Carlsbad, hoping to bring awareness to under-reported child abuse.
Albuquerque Journal--New Mexico leads the nation in the percentage of babies born into Medicaid families – which can be taken as a reflection of the state’s high poverty rate or an indication that government here takes care of its own. According to figures from 2015, 72 percent of the births reported in New Mexico were paid for by Medicaid, a jointly funded federal-state health insurance program for low-income, disabled and other people who qualify.
Albuquerque Journal--Last week the New Mexico House of Representatives voted unanimously to remove the food tax from House Bill 412, the most comprehensive tax reform legislation in a generation. New Mexico’s gross receipts or sales tax system is a mess. It is undermined by 383 loopholes, exemptions and deductions for a grab bag of things ranging from fuel for space vehicles to professional boxing matches to recreational vehicle sales. Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, has been thoughtfully leading the fight to close these and dozens of other loopholes and to use the resulting revenue to reduce overall tax rates.
KUNM FM--Republicans in Congress have released their plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act and children’s advocates are worried about low-income kids in New Mexico. There are over 300,000 low-income kids who get health care coverage under the Medicaid program here, according to the federal government. The Republicans’ draft changes to the program would cap federal Medicaid funds at their 2016 levels in each state.
Albuquerque Journal--An op-ed was published recently that urged support for legislation that would re-impose the tax on food as part of a reform of the state’s gross receipts tax, our GRT. This could have a very harmful impact on poor and low-income families, despite the arguments made to the contrary. The op-ed brought up some commonly misunderstood issues relating to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – or food stamps – but it left out a big part of the story.
Santa Fe New Mexican--Five Democratic state senators banded together Tuesday to block a Republican bill aimed at prohibiting people on food stamps from buying soda, candy and other junk foods. The Democrats said they appreciated Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, sponsoring the bill to encourage healthy eating habits in hopes of reducing New Mexico’s high rates of obesity and diabetes. But Democrats on the Senate Public Affairs Committee still found flaws in Pirtle’s proposal.
The number of Northern New Mexico residents seeking custody of abused and neglected children born to relatives had been growing steadily over the past decade, but that growth has skyrocketed in the last two years. People who work in the state’s family courts system say substance abuse — primarily opiate addiction — is to blame for the more than 70 percent increase in kinship guardianship cases between 2014 and 2016. Unless the epidemic is addressed, they say, generations of the region’s children will continue to suffer.