SJR 1 and HJR 1. Expanded Funding for Early Childhood 

Lead Lobbyist: Voices for Children. awallin@nmvoices.org

Bill Summary: HJR1 (sponsors Antonio Maestas, Javier Martinez, and Migual Garcia–all Democrats in Bernalillo) proposes a constitutional amendment which asks voter to authorize that an additional 1% of the income from the Land Grant Permanet Fund be used for quality early childhood education programs to be administered by the Public Education Department.  The resolution is now in the House Local Government, Elections, Land Grants & Cultural Affairs Committee (HLELC). No hearing scheduled yet. It passed the House Education Committee by one vote. SJR3 (sponsor Michael Padilla, D, Bernalillo) is similar to HJR1 and slated to go to the Senate Rules Committee, burt not scheduled yet.  According to knowledgeable sources, the house resolution could pass by mid-February.  These sources say that John Arthur Smith (Chairperson of Senate Finance Committee) could kill the Senate resolution.  Advocates are strongly suggesting that we contact Senator Wirth and ask that SJR 3 not be sent to the Senate Finance Committee and Senator Smith.

Do NOT be confused by a bill introduced by Mary Pappen, SB 182, which is erroneously entitled Early Childhood Land Grant Fund. This bill would sell off 6.6 million acres of public land and enable our Governor and Audrey Dunn to sell this land to the fossil fuel industry. This is shameless and we will not soon forget Pappen’s sponsorship of this bill.

SB 175:  Home Visiting for Medicaid Eligible Infants

Bill Summary: Require the Secretary of Human Services to establish a program to provide home visiting services to Medicaid-eligible infants, toddlers and their families to improve the health of New Mexico families.  Home visiting programs are the most cost-effective means of improving not just the health outcomes for infants, but their outcomes related to education and lifetime earning. This is about Social Justice.