Investing in a Healthier New Mexico
The Medicaid expansion, as part of the Affordable Care Act, has been very good for New Mexico. Not only are tens of thousands of New Mexicans able to access health care, the program has brought billions into the state that has created thousands of jobs, economic activity, and tax revenue. (Report; state-level data on the number of jobs created, economic activity, and tax revenue as a result of the expansion)
Proposed Changes to Public Charge: What You Need to Know
Rumors about proposed rule changes on the use of public benefits and immigration applications have many immigrants and their families worried about using programs like WIC, SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and energy assistance. Do not give up important benefits that your family needs, like food assistance and health care, based on rumors and fear. Be informed so you can make the right choice for you and your family.
New Mexicans are Worth More: Raising the State’s Minimum Wage
New Mexico's minimum wage has not been raised in nearly a decade. Worth $7.50 an hour back in 2009, it now has the purchasing power of $6.30. Nearly a quarter of a million workers and more than 100,000 children would benefit from an increase in the state minimum wage. (A Working Poor Families Project report; state-level data on selected demographics of low-wage workers)
New Mexico’s 2018 KIDS COUNT profile
New Mexico has fallen to 50th in the nation in child well-being after ranking 49th for the past four years. This state profile shows how our children are faring on the 16 indicators of child well-being used in the national KIDS COUNT rankings. (State profile; state-level data on indicators of child well-being)
The Well-Being of Black Children in New Mexico
This presentation, given at the NM Office of African American Affairs' Black Child Wellness Summit, introduces our Well-Being of Black Children in New Mexico special KIDS COUNT report on how New Mexico's Black children are doing on some 20 indicators of child well-being. (Presentation)
The Well-Being of Black Children in New Mexico
Child poverty in New Mexico is among the worst in the nation and disparities exist within all indicators of child well-being for children of color. Although our state's Black children are generally faring better than Black children nationally, they still face significant obstacles to success. This report, created in partnership with the NM Office of African American Affairs, looks at how New Mexico's Black children are doing on some 20 indicators of child well-being. (A special KIDS COUNT report; state-, county-, and school-district-level data on indicators of child well-being)
Helping NM Families Get Ahead by Fixing the Child Care Cliff Effect
This fact sheet for The Cliff Effect: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back sums up the report's basic message about how the sudden loss of benefits like child care assistance--called the cliff effect--can act as a disincentive for hard-working families trying to lift themselves out of poverty. Also includes policy recommendations for mitigating the cliff effect. (Fact sheet; state-level data on the child care assistance program)
The Cliff Effect: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
How can a $1 raise in pay throw families into poverty? When they are at the ceiling for child care assistance eligibility, a tiny raise can mean they go from paying 18 percent of their income on child care to 38 percent. Work supports like child care assistance should help families achieve economic stability. But the sudden loss of benefits--called the cliff effect--can have the opposite effect. (Report; state-level data on the child care assistance program)
Moving the Needle on Child Well-Being
New Mexico has a long and proud history of cutting-edge innovation in many fields, so making progress on child well-being is within our reach if we fully commit to it. This report lays out the ways in which we can move the needle on child well-being by enacting smart public policies. (A special KIDS COUNT report; state-level data on indicators of child well-being)
Improving the best anti-poverty measure in New Mexico
New Mexico's Working Families Tax Credit works with the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which has been hailed as one of the best anti-poverty, pro-job creation measures Congress has ever enacted. This fact sheet explains why this tax credit works so well and how New Mexico policymakers could make it even more effective. And it could all be paid for by ending an ineffective tax credit. (Fact sheet; state-level data on the Working Families Tax Credit)