Tax Fairness & Budget Adequacy Blog
NM should continue to lead the way on higher ed by fully funding the Opportunity Scholarship
New Mexico is leading the way in providing all students with tuition-free higher education, and the Opportunity Scholarship has already shown results. That's why the Senate Finance Committee should fully fund the Opportunity Scholarship and keep it free of any guardrail language regarding its administration.
23 Roundhouse resolutions for 2023
It's a New Year's resolution bonanza! We've got 23 resolutions for 2023 that we urge lawmakers to consider to improve child well-being in New Mexico.
State must be able to fund future
Santa Fe New Mexican--Because of our over-reliance on a boom-to-bust industry, New Mexico has a structural deficit -- a difference between reliable, recurring revenue and necessary, recurring spending that persists over time.
The Department of the Interior needs to finalize new federal leasing rules
Without important reforms written into rule, DOI’s lease sales could increase the already alarming number of orphaned wells – wells that have been abandoned by oil and gas companies – that pollute New Mexico. That’s because the current bonding amounts are inadequate.
Voters signal support for more than investments in early childhood
Las Cruces Sun-News--The recent election tells us a great deal about how committed New Mexicans are to our children and their families. New Mexico voters have spoken loud and clear — and they want the highest quality early care and education programs fully supported and available to all.
Federal leasing program isn’t working for New Mexico
When the government leases lands at far below market rates and forces taxpayers to cover the cost of cleanup, we’re all missing out on money that is rightfully ours. This is revenue that should be used to pay for books for our schools and teacher salaries, not padding industry profits.
New Mexico families are getting a needed tax break
Santa Fe New Mexican Tax Day 2022 offered a good reminder that lawmakers have made several improvements to our tax code in recent years that are providing important benefits for New Mexicans in need of financial relief.
New Mexico’s children deserve a landscape free of orphaned wells
Carlsbad Current Argus--As proud New Mexicans, we know our state has the best scenery and natural beauty in the nation. While we want to keep it that way, that’s hard to when our landscape is dotted with old, pollution-spewing orphaned oil wells. Here's how to fix this problem.
Fix oil and gas leasing system before new sales
Santa Fe New Mexican--In New Mexico, we have lived through many boom-and-bust cycles of the oil and gas industry. But recent years have shown just how much we need to break this cycle - particularly as we plan for the transition from oil and gas to clean energy - by tipping the scales away from the oil and gas corporations and back toward New Mexicans who have shouldered the consequences.
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.