Priorities

Your Pocketbook: Stop the Rising Cost of Living

The rising costs of groceries, gas, and housing coupled with the stagnation of wages are felt by all of us. Countless families, including mine, are waiting for promised reimbursements from the federal government from the fires. To ease the financial hardships we’re experiencing, our state legislators could be doing more to support our working families struggling to make ends meet.

I will work to:

  • Shift our statewide economic incentives away for out-of-state corporations and big businesses towards local and rural small businesses;
  • Repeal tax break handouts for out-of-state corporations that don’t result in promised jobs and take money out of the pockets of Northern New Mexico families;
  • Fight for policies like Paid Family and Medical Leave that helps your financial security during times of emergency;
  • Defend against any rollbacks to the interest rate cap payday loan companies can charge people who seek short-term loans.

Education

About 40% of schools in New Mexico are in rural communities, and yet we have less access to school counselors and psychologists, school transportation, and broadband internet. We are losing our best teachers and educators when they are not valued or compensated well. Educating our young people is our best investment in our future.

I believe we must:

  • Invest in education at the level it deserves, including early childhood education programs
  • Support local teachers and increasing educator salaries
  • Create full services in the school that support students and their families – nutrition, health, transportation, counseling, and social service connections
  • Add more STEM curriculum and increase career pathways programs in our public schools
  • Work with higher education to bridge the learning gap and build a workforce for our home communities
  • Support higher education salaries and programs to retain New Mexican students and build up our local colleges and universities

Healthcare

Rural healthcare is in crisis. Already, New Mexicans from rural communities have lower life expectancy, experience higher rates of disability, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic liver disease. There’s not enough healthcare workers in New Mexico but in rural communities especially and people travel long distances to get even the most basic healthcare. That needs to change.

I will fight to:

  • Build and expand programs to grow our own healthcare workforce
  • Expand funding for healthcare and social services including programs for mental health and addiction treatment programs
  • Improve broadband for Telehealth technology giving rural access to specialists
  • Expand New Mexico’s rural healthcare tax credit for all healthcare professionals who practice in rural areas
  • Champion the rights for women to have to full control over their reproductive healthcare decisions without government interference

Jobs/Local Small Businesses

Small businesses have not been getting the support they need. And without strong and growing small businesses, rural and small town jobs disappear and people must find opportunities elsewhere.

I will work to:

  • Partner with schools, and unions for expanded job training while helping small businesses secure grants for internships and apprenticeships;
  • Expand broadband access so there’s steady internet service for online business activities, education, telecommuting and tele-health

Rural/Small Town Infrastructure

Infrastructure provides the foundation for economic activity, and the deferred maintenance of our water systems, roads and bridges hinders economic growth. We’ve been promised better access to broadband for decades but when it’s slow or non-existent that’s a problem that leaves rural communities disconnected from basic services.

To improve infrastructure for small towns and rural communities we must:

  • Establish and fund a grant program to expand rural broadband and prioritize fiber-based broadband construction for new development
  • Ensure that the $140M federal pledge to build a new water treatment facility stays funded and is completed on time so we can count on clean and safe drinking water
  • Rebuild and repair cultural infrastructure like acequias, many which were impacted by the recent fire and flooding
  • Invest in public safety and support municipal and county governments

Protection of Our Natural Resources

New Mexico’s climate is getting hotter and drier, and we need to prepare today for a future where water availability, and weather extremes increase the risks to our homes, businesses, and lives. Prioritizing investments in fire prevention is a must because the human and economic toll of another large wildfire in Northern New Mexico and floods would be incalculable.

I support a forward looking, pragmatic response to climate change that’s consistent with our cultural heritage:

  • Reducing carbon emissions and accelerate the pace of investing in NM’s renewable potential
  • Taking systematic steps to reduce risks from wildfire through wildfire risk assessments, and mitigation
  • Promoting local agriculture and food production
  • Restoring land and forests and ensuring the traditional and agricultural uses of water