Associated Press--Families in New Mexico, which has one of the country’s highest child poverty rates, spent nearly 46% of their child tax credit money on food, a study by Washington University in St. Louis’ Social Policy Institute found. “It says a lot about what families are worried about,” said Sharon Kayne, communications director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “This is hugely important to a lot of families.”
For too long, the antiqued federal oil and gas leasing program has allowed oil and gas companies to litter our public lands with orphaned wells while working New Mexicans are forced to foot the bill to clean them up. The reforms that DOI has put forth in its new report will protect taxpayers and protect our public lands.
KRWG FM--Of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants within the United States, around 60,000 reside in New Mexico. According to the nonprofit New Mexico Voices For Children, that group of 60,000 pays more than $67.7 million annually in state and local taxes.
Santa Fe New Mexican--It’s a well-known fact that New Mexico has one of the worst education systems in the country. The 2021 Kids Count report from New Mexico Voices for Children shows New Mexico recently ranked last among states for education. This shouldn’t be a surprise to students or their parents who feel our state’s education system is failing them.
Fact Sheet In New Mexico, new mothers whose births were covered by Medicaid are only eligible to receive health care for another two months. This is particularly problematic for mothers and babies of color, who are more likely to have postpartum health issues. Find out how lawmakers can make our health care system more equitable. (State-level data on maternal death rates by race and ethnicity)
“We need strong rules that put an end to methane pollution from the oil and gas industry in order to protect today’s children – as they are disproportionately harmed by the air pollution it causes. We also need them to safeguard children of the future – as they will suffer the increasingly dire consequences of the climate crisis we continue to exacerbate."
Santa Fe New Mexican--“Equality of opportunity is not something that just happens,” said the organization’s deputy director, Amber Wallin. “Moving forward, we have to pass policy that supports families, prioritizes children and … improves opportunities for women and communities of color in our state.”
NM Political Report--“The COVID recession is not a typical one. It’s the most unequal one in history,” Wallin said.
Source NM--New Mexico has fewer workers protected by paid sick leave than any other, with about 50% of workers here working without it, according to New Mexico Voices for Children.
While the state is currently flush with revenue from the booming oil and gas markets, as well as federal recovery funding, one advocacy group is recommending that lawmakers not lose sight of the need to diversify the state’s revenue sources in order to protect future budgets.