Together we had groundbreaking and unprecedented victories this legislative session. Your dedication and countless phone calls, emails, and comments in committee hearings worked! Monumental efforts like paid sick leave, access to affordable healthcare, students’ access to culturally appropriate services, and more could be a reality for New Mexico’s families. 

We need your help to get these bills signed and over the finish line! Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has until April 8 to sign legislation and has started the process already.

Please contact the governor this week and ask her to sign HB 20, SB 71, HB 112, SB 317 and HB 287. Call her office at (505) 476-2200 and leave a short message, or email her using this form: https://www.governor.state.nm.us/contact-the-governor/.

• HB 20 Healthy Workplaces Act will ensure that employees accrue one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. Only about half of all workers in New Mexico currently have paid sick leave.
• SB 71 Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act prohibits collections against low-income patients for hospital and certain medical facility bills and will help families get connected with healthcare coverage that can pay for their care.
• HB 112 Non-Discrimination in State and Local Healthcare Programs will make it illegal to discriminate against immigrants in any healthcare program funded solely with state or local dollars.
• SB 317 Healthcare Affordability Fund and No Behavioral Health Cost Sharing will raise more than $120 million to drive down healthcare costs and get coverage for tens of thousands more people, laying a foundation toward healthcare for all.
• HB 287 Access to Culturally Appropriate Services will require the state to assess gaps in health and social services in the public schools and create a task force to recommend policy changes to ensure adequate, culturally responsive services. 

This session, we also got very close to passing major legislation for a 36% rate cap on predatory lending, housing protections, access to healthy foods, and built momentum for language access in government services, repealing minimum wage exclusions, SNAP improvements, and more. We will continue pushing for these important changes into the future.

Now, let’s get the bills passed made into law.