ALBUQUERQUE — For the first time, the U.S. Census Bureau released a state-level child poverty measurement the week of Sept. 9 that shows anti-poverty policies enacted in New Mexico made an enormous difference for children over the period from 2021-2023. While New Mexico ranks last in the nation under the official poverty measure for child poverty, with a rate of 27.4%, when anti-poverty programs are taken into account under the supplemental poverty measure, the child poverty rate improves dramatically to just 8.9%, ranking the state 22nd in the nation.

While the official poverty measure counts only wage-based income, the supplemental poverty measure also counts anti-poverty programs...

When New Mexico’s rural hospitals called for help, our entire state came together – hospitals statewide, the Governor’s Office, the New Mexico Health Care Authority and legislators from both sides of the aisle - to pass the 2024 Health Care Delivery and Access Act.

New Mexico is at a pivotal moment as we struggle to address healthcare challenges facing our hardworking families especially when it comes to access to healthcare. Almost half of our residents are enrolled in Medicaid and, frankly, the Medicaid reimbursement rates to pay our doctors, nurses, and hospitals simply do not cover the costs of care. When costs aren’t covered, our entire system faces tough decisions about...

On Sept. 12, six young detransitioners will be speaking in Santa Fe to help people understand the harms of gender-affirming care. Many New Mexicans do not know that in 2023, the New Mexico Legislature and Governor signed into law the requirement that public school teachers and school nurses must facilitate access to transgender (and abortion) care for children with no parental notification, no parental consent, and no age restrictions. According to law House Bill 7, teachers or school nurses who talk to children's parents about their transgender (or abortion) care can be fined $5,000 for "interfering" with access to care. The governor and progressive lawmakers are cutting parents out of...

WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and U.S. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., and Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., welcomed the announcement that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $191,000 in funding for New Mexico to protect children from lead in drinking water at schools and childcare facilities on Aug. 27.

“Our kids need clean drinking water and healthy learning environments where they can grow, play, and thrive,” Heinrich said. “I’m proud to deliver these federal resources to help protect New Mexico kids’ health and safety by...