Letter to the Honorable Don L. Tripp, Speaker of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the Honorable Mary Kay Papen, President Pro Tempore of the New Mexico Senate State Capitol Building - Regarding the Well-being of NM children

Letter

The Honorable Don L. Tripp
Speaker, New Mexico House of Representatives
State Capitol Building
Santa Fe, NM 87501

The Honorable Mary Kay Papen
President Pro Tempore, New Mexico Senate
State Capitol Building
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Dear Speaker Tripp and President Pro Tempore Papen:

New Mexico is at a critical juncture. The economy is stalled, families are struggling, and more needs to be done to ensure our children are in the best possible position to succeed later in life. This is vital to the health and well-being of our economy and growth of our state. We write to encourage state lawmakers to work together to invest in New Mexico's children and our future.

Nationwide statistics consistently show that a disproportionate number of children in our state experience persistent hunger and poverty. Our state fell to worst in the nation for the percentage of children living in poverty in 2014. New Mexico ranks second to last among all states in overall child well-being and has ranked among the bottom two for the past several years. Many families are not able to access quality, affordable child care, especially in rural areas. Safe housing and communities are out of reach for many. We lag behind the nation in several health outcomes, including a disproportionately high number of babies born at a low birth-weight and high obesity rates among all age groups.

Education provides children with an opportunity to improve their own lives and the lives of their families. Unfortunately, our education system is also failing. New Mexico ranked 49th in education in a recent national report, yet study after study shows that children who have access to high-quality child care and pre-kindergarten programs are more likely to succeed in later grades, leading to higher graduation rates and providing a path to the middle class. We owe it to our children and our economy to make smart investments in effective early childhood programs that we know can help families break the cycle of poverty.

We are asking for your help and your partnership to address this problem. At the federal level, we are doing everything we can to maximize federal resources coming into New Mexico for quality health care and education in order to help struggling families break free from multigenerational poverty. The Affordable Care Act, Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization, passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act, and enhanced federal tax credits are some successful examples of programs that aim to lower poverty. In addition, we fought to protect New Mexico from cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs in the Farm Bill.

At the state level, we wholly endorse a constitutional amendment to dedicate a sensible portion of the New Mexico Land Grant Permanent Fund to fully fund the most effective early child care and education programs. We also urge you to pass a Joint Resolution to put the proposal on the statewide ballot.

Nothing is more important for our state at this time than improving the well-being of our children. If we fail at this, we fail at everything else, including long-term economic progress. Especially on this issue, New Mexicans should have the right to determine their future.

Sincerely,

Tom Udall
United States Senator

Martin Heinrich
United States Senator

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