Dear Editor,
On Jan. 16, the 30-day Legislative began in Santa Fe and the clock is already ticking down until Feb. 15 when the session will adjourn.
The first week of the session is fairly slow with committees organizing and legislation receiving committee assignments. In fact, many legislators will travel back to their districts on the first weekend to inform their constituents about important bills and issues that may be addressed.
Like we’ve done in the past, AFT NM will send out updates several times a week to keep you informed during the session. Members across the state regularly report back that periodic updates help them to feel like they are part of the action in the Roundhouse, and it is our goal to keep you as informed as possible on the bills that impact our profession and our communities.
Already, we have an exciting docket of bills that are being introduced which reflect our union’s values and the needs of the communities in which we live and work. During our advocacy, we will always keep our students, patients, and profession in the forefront of our efforts.
Our AFT New Mexico platform is informed and influenced by our rank-and-file membership across our constituencies and is published every two years, and this year, we are advocating for the following policies:
- Institute a Minimum Salary for All School Employees
- Increase Insurance Cost Coverage for Educational Employees
- Institute Higher Education Adjunct Pay Parity
- Strengthen the Retiree Healthcare Fund
- Institute Student Borrower Protections and Transparency
- Fight for Policies which Improve Educator Retention and Recruitment
