NM Voices in the News
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House speaker, advocates plot pushback on Trump deportation plans
Santa Fe New Mexican--“New Mexico is home to an estimated 60,000 undocumented immigrants,” said Zulema Chavero, citizenship coordinator for Somos Un Pueblo Unido. She said they “pay more than $67.7 million annually in state and local taxes,” citing a 2020 report from New Mexico Voices for Children.
New Mexico ranks 17th in nation for child poverty, according to one ranking
NM Political Report--“We haven’t done enough and we could be doing way more but [the recent policy changes] do have positive impact. We have to push harder to improve those programs,” Wildau said.
Child poverty measures tell two stories in New Mexico
Santa Fe New Mexican--“Far too many families are living in poverty, when we look at the [official poverty measure],” Voices for Children research and policy analyst Emily Wildau said. “But the [official poverty measure] doesn’t actually show us the also very real impact of those programs that do lift many kids and families out of poverty.”
Gen Z kids struggle with mental health across Southern NM
Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative--In Doña Ana County, the most populous in Southern New Mexico, about one in three children live in poverty, according to New Mexico Voices for Children.
Experts ‘cautiously optimistic’ about New Mexico’s child poverty rate continuing to decrease
Source NM--“When you look at the supplemental poverty measure, it’s actually measuring the impact of a lot of really strong anti-poverty programs like our tax credits and SNAP programs, and even school lunches are included in that measure. And so it kind of gives us a better sense of basically what a household has in resources,” said Emily Wildau, Senior Research & Policy Analyst/KIDS COUNT Coordinator for New Mexico Voices for Children.
When anti-poverty programs are accounted for, New Mexico’s child poverty ranking improves
NM Political Report--“We know that poverty is a policy choice,” Uballez said through the release. “Fortunately, our state lawmakers continue to invest in state tax credits and income support programs that lift New Mexican families above the poverty line. We build upon our success by continuing to enact policies that work for our kids and families to improve access to benefits while also exploring new opportunities to build wealth, raise wages, and break generational cycles of poverty.”
Report shows New Mexico’s efforts to combat childhood poverty are making a difference
KUNM FM--“So, you look at a child tax credit or the earned income tax credit, you look at non-cash benefits like SNAP, those things are having a significant impact on lifting people above the poverty line,” she said.
‘I never had to compromise my values’: Longtime child welfare lobbyist retires
Santa Fe New Mexican--Jordan said his crowning achievements include the yearslong fight to draw more dollars from the state’s land grant permanent fund for early childhood programs and reforming New Mexico’s tax code to better serve children and families.
Interview with Bill Jordan, longtime lobbyist for NM Voices for Children
NM In Depth--Trip Jennings talks with longtime NM Voices for Children lobbyist Bill Jordan who retired last week after more than 30 years spent lobbying New Mexico lawmakers on a variety of issues. He and Trip talk about his experiences and together they try to demystify the Roundhouse for readers and viewers.
As rhetoric around undocumented workers heats up, new report shows their tax contribution
NM Political Report--Vigil said migrant workers make up a considerable portion of New Mexico’s workforce and, in addition to income taxes, they also pay gross receipts tax on most goods and services, excise taxes which are levied on items such as cigarettes, alcohol, betting, soda and amusement activities. They also pay property taxes either through home ownership or through rent when the property tax is passed along to the tenant.