NM Voices in the News
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New Senate effort to fund oil and gas well plugging could benefit New Mexico’s bottom line
Carlsbad Current Argus--“Defunct oil and gas producers have littered New Mexico with orphaned wells while taxpayers are forced to foot the bill to clean them up,” he said. “Those critical funds could be spent supporting our children and schools instead of cleaning up the mess oil and gas companies have left behind.”
Kids Count: New Mexico improves to 49th in child wellbeing
Associated Press--“It’s encouraging to see that child wellbeing in New Mexico was improving before the pandemic hit,” said James Jimenez, executive director for New Mexico Voices for Children, which partners with the foundation. He’s cautiously optimistic that state policies “helped offset some of the health and financial problems caused by the pandemic.”
New Mexico moves up to 49th in rank for child welfare
Santa Fe New Mexican--New Mexico traditionally has not done well in the Kids Count rankings, usually swapping the 49th and 50th spots with Mississippi. But Jimenez said there are some reasons for optimism as New Mexico looks to the future, including the expansion of Medicaid several years ago and a just-passed working families tax credit that could reduce child poverty.
NM shows modest improvement in child well-being
Albuquerque Journal--“It’s encouraging to see that child well-being was improving before the pandemic hit,” said James Jimenez, executive director for New Mexico Voices for Children. “We’re cautiously optimistic that investments the state made in children and families beginning in 2019 – as well as throughout the pandemic – helped offset some of the health and financial problems caused by the pandemic."
New Mexico stuck with $8 billion in cleanup for oil wells, highlighting dangers from fossil fuel dependence
DeSmog--The state has long suffered from the roller coaster cycles of extractive industry, according to James Jimenez, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, a health, education, and economic advocacy organization. “We’ve made policy choices in boom times that have really exacerbated our over-dependence on oil and natural gas revenues,” Jimenez told DeSmog.
Weak oil and gas cleanup bonding threatens environment
Santa Fe New Mexican--Part of the social contract for companies operating in New Mexico is the straightforward notion that they should clean up after themselves. That’s especially true for industries like oil and natural gas whose messes contain deadly pollutants.
NM searches for answers to ‘Why Johnny Can’t Read’
Albuquerque Journal--“If children are not ready to learn by the time they reach kindergarten, they’re already compromised. When they start from behind, too often they will end up behind,” said James Jimenez, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children.
Back to the well
Searchlight NM--“We have oil and gas, and so we have chosen to provide tax cuts in other areas,” said Bill Jordan, the government relations officer at New Mexico Voices for Children, an advocacy group. “Other states have figured out how to pay the bills … and they do it without oil and gas.”
Residents must file tax returns by Monday to get latest stimulus
Albuquerque Journal--“We know that the pandemic has been particularly hard on undocumented or mixed-status families,” Jimenez said. “… Just having a little bit of money to help pay the current bill, but maybe even get themselves out of debt a little bit, I think, is one of the most positive things that we are hoping will happen.”
Heinrich bill supports states’ shift to sustainable revenue sources
Santa Fe New Mexican--“I think it’s pretty far-sighted in terms of knowing where we are today, knowing the public policies that are being proposed and talked about publicly and knowing where we need to get because of climate change,” he said.