STRONG FAMILIES NEW MEXICO LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARD 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS / TABLA DE CONTENIDO Executive Summary 2 Resumen ejecutivo 4 Introduction 6 Introducción 7 Conversations with Families Across 8 New Mexico Conversaciones con familias a través de 9 todo Nuevo México Methodology on Chamber and 10 Legislator Grades Strong Families Policy Criteria 11 Criterios de política que apoyan Strong Families 11 Civil Rights 12 Criminal Justice 15 Economic Justice 19 Education Equity 24 Health Equity 28 Anti-Family Legislation 32 Conclusion 32 Votes and Grades of Legislators 33 Votos y calificaciones de los legisladores 33 Endnotes 38 Acknowledgments 44 ARTIST: MELANIE CERVANTES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Strong Families New Mexico (SFNM), a program of Forward Together, works to shift culture and create policies that recognize the many kinds of families in our state. We are a network of over 20 organizations and thousands of individuals working to build a better life for all of our families and for generations to come. Strong Families’ vision is that every family has the rights, recognition, and resources they need to thrive. Issue Committee House Senate Governor Enacted Area Strong Families Legislation into Law SB 19: Place foster youth in safe family environment ✘ SB 120: Allow changes to gender markers on a birth certificate ✘ SB 224: Allow more days for residents to register to vote Civil RightsCivil HJR 4: Automatic voter registration ✘ SB 293: Implement new policies to support breastfeeding in prisons ✘ SB 263: Assess the cost of incarceration to the state SB 78: “Ban the Box” — Jobs for previously incarcerated people ✘ HB 306: Support people with a behavioral health diagnosis ✘ HB 242: Prohibit solitary confinement for youth, pregnant women, and ✘ Criminal Justice Criminal people with mental illness HB 86: Allow workers to take sick days to care for family members ✘ HB 179: Basic accommodations for pregnant workers ✘ SB 308: Provide Internet expansion for rural areas ✔ HB 347: Reduce interest rates charged by loan companies ✔ HB 27: Raise minimum wage to $15 an hour ✘ Economic Justice Economic HB 136: Help people stay in permanent housing ✘ SB 115: Update bullying prevention programs in schools HJR 1: State funds for early childhood education SB 213: Support for transferring students ✔ HB 208: Funds for schools to purchase NM-grown produce ✘ Education Equity Education SB 35: Adequate funding for public education ✘ HB 370: Provide overdose education and medication ✔ SB 175: Medicaid coverage of home visits for young children ✘ HB 284: Easier access to contraception SB 33: Funds for local and tribal health needs for mothers and children ✘ Health Equity Health HB 160: Full-time school nurse in every school district ✘ Passed and moved to next step ✔ Enacted into law Did not make it to this stage of the bill process ✘ Stopped (died in committee, not passed by House or Senate, or vetoed by Governor) 2 2017 LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARD The Strong Families New Mexico Legislative The following recommendations for state law- Report Card examines 25 pieces of legislation makers are based on the policies we tracked in introduced during the 2017 legislative session the 2017 session and on our vision for all families and grades individual legislators. The legisla- to thrive in New Mexico. tion selected reflects a wide range of issues with 1. Enact policies that support ALL families, in- a focus on the needs of communities across the cluding under-resourced families most im- state, impacts on families of many formations, pacted by the issues. New Mexico is a mostly and alignment with our Strong Families policy rural state. The majority of its residents are criteria. people of color. In this state, place and race impact people’s everyday lives, including their We evaluated legislation in six categories. access to healthcare, good jobs with a living 1. Civil rights wage, voting rights, housing, transportation, 2. Criminal justice and educational opportunities. 3. Economic justice 2. Partner with community groups to create 4. Education equity stronger policies. We are each experts in our 5. Health equity own lives. Community organizations are ready 6. Anti-family and willing to share their expertise and part- Anti-family legislation, which Strong Families ner with legislators to craft policy solutions. New Mexico opposes, harms New Mexico families Strong Families New Mexico works with over by creating or exacerbating inequities in our state. 20 partner organizations and many more allied In 2017, very few anti-family bills made their organizations. Our work spans every issue way to the House or Senate floor; therefore, no affecting families, and each organization holds anti-family bills were included in the following data, stories, insights, and solutions for how to summary table or in that section of this report. improve the lives of people in New Mexico. 3. Use our Strong Families Policy Criteria Both the House and Senate received an A+. No when crafting or revising legislation. Our anti-family bills tracked by Strong Families New five-question policy criteria can be used by Mexico in 2017 passed on the House or Senate policymakers to ensure the wellbeing of and floor and many bills that benefit families did equitable outcomes for all families. pass. Therefore, both the House and the Senate 4. In times of budget crisis, our state cannot received a high mark. afford to divest from New Mexico families. Policies that provide funding for education, Individual legislators are also graded for this healthcare, food, housing, and violence pre- report card. Their grades are based on how they vention with an eye on long-term solutions voted on Strong Families New Mexico priority will have impacts for generations in our state. legislation that reached a floor vote. Our state needs to invest in families now in order to improve our economy and wellbeing. While many proactive bills were passed by the Even in a budget crisis, we are a state with House and Senate, only 4 bills were signed into abundance. We have abundant wisdom, re- law. Of the 25 pieces of legislation featured in this sources, and ideas that can be used now to report card, 8 died in committees, 5 passed only solve the problems of today with a vision for one chamber, and 8 were vetoed or pocket vetoed the future. by the Governor. STRONG FAMILIES NEW MEXICO 3 RESUMEN EJECUTIVO Strong Families New México (SFNM) es un programa de Forward Together que tra- baja para cambiar la cultura y crear políticas que reconocen toda la diversidad de fa- milias que tenemos en nuestro estado. Somos una red de más de 20 organizaciones y miles de individuos que trabajan juntos por crear una vida mejor para todas nuestras familias y las generaciones futuras. La visión de Strong Families es que cada familia tenga los derechos, el reconocimiento, y los recursos necesarios para prosperar. Legislación que apoya familias fuertes Tema Comité Cámara de Representantes Senado Gobernadora Establecida como ley SB 19: Ubicar a jóvenes en hogares de crianza en ambiente de familia saludable ✘ SB 120: Permitir cambios en características de género en las actas de nacimiento ✘ civiles SB 224: Permitir más días para que los residentes se inscriban para votar Derechos Derechos HJR 4: Inscripción automática para votantes ✘ SB 293: Implementar nuevas políticas para apoyar que las mujeres en prisión ✘ amamanten a sus hijos SB 263: Evaluar el costo de encarcelamiento para el estado SB 78: “Prohibir la caja” que pregunta sobre antecedentes penales — empleos para ✘ personas previamente encarceladas Justicia penal HB 306: Apoyar a las personas con diagnosis de salud de conducta ✘ HB 242: Prohibir el encierro en aislamiento solitario de jóvenes, mujeres ✘ embarazadas, y personas con enfermedades mentales HB 86: Permitir a los trabajadores tomar licencia por enfermedad para cuidar a familiares ✘ HB 179: Ajustes básicos para trabajadoras embarazadas ✘ SB 308: Proporcionar una expansión de Internet para zonas rurales ✔ HB 347: Reducir las tasas de interés que cobran las compañías de préstamos ✔ HB 27: Aumentar el sueldo mínimo a $15 la hora ✘ Justicia económica HB 136: Ayudar a la gente a permanecer en viviendas permanentes ✘ SB 115: Actualizar los programas de prevención de acoso (bullying) en las escuelas HJR 1: Fondos estatales para programas de educación temprana SB 213: Apoyo para estudiantes de transferencia ✔ HB 208: Fondos para que las escuelas compren frutas y verduras cultivadas en Nuevo México ✘ Equidad educativa Equidad SB 35: Financiamiento adecuado para la educación pública ✘ HB 370: Proporcionar educación sobre y medicamentos para los casos de sobredosis ✔ SB 175: Cobertura de Medicaid para visitas a domicilio para niños ✘ HB 284: Acceso más fácil para anticonceptivos Equidad en SB 33: Fondos para las necesidades de salubridad para madres y niños de tribus locales ✘ servicios salud de HB 160: Una enfermera escolar de tiempo complete en cada distrito escolar ✘ Aprobada y continuó al siguiente paso ✔ Establecida como ley No llegó a esta etapa en el proceso legislativo ✘ Detenida (murió en comité, no fue aprobada por la Cámara o el Senado, o fue vetado por la Gobernadora) 4 2017 LEGISLATIVE REPORT CARD La boleta de calificaciones legislativas de Strong Las siguientes recomendaciones para los legisladores Families examina 25 iniciativas presentadas du- estatales están basadas sobre políticas que rastreamos rante la sesión legislativa de 2017, y le da una en la sesión de 2017 y en nuestra visión para que todas calificación individual a los legisladores. Las ini- las familias en Nuevo México prosperen. ciativas de ley escogidas reflejan un espectro amplio 1. Establecer políticas que apoyen a TODAS las famil- de temas con un enfoque en las necesidades de las ias, incluyendo las familias con pocos recursos, comunidades en todo el estado, el impacto sobre los las cuales son las más afectadas para estos temas. diferentes tipos de familias, y el alineamiento con Nuevo México es un estado principalmente rural.