State of the State: Governor Lujan Grisham Champions Students, Parents and Educators Once Again in 2022

Lujan Grisham's Proposal for Educator Raises Will Tackle Vacancies & Give New Mexico Students The High Quality Education They Deserve

Albuquerque, NM – As Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham outlined in her State of the State ahead of the 2022 legislative session, the Lujan Grisham administration will continue to make groundbreaking investments in public schools, students, and educators.

The last two years have posed enormous challenges for parents, students, educators, and school staff. Today, just like the rest of the country, New Mexico faces an educator shortage; Governor Lujan Grisham has a plan to tackle vacancies by raising educator pay by 7%, including a dramatic increase in base salary levels helping to recruit teachers and grow new ones in the state. Governor Lujan Grisham's proposal builds upon her record of reducing educator vacancies by nearly 25% following the first back-to-back raises for educators in a decade.

Governor Lujan Grisham has made transformative investments in New Mexico's education system over the last three years. In establishing a true cradle-to-career education system in the state, Governor Lujan Grisham delivered on the "moonshot" effort New Mexico desperately needed. We are already seeing the impact of those investments: under Governor Lujan Grisham, New Mexico's graduation is the highest it's ever been. In 2022, Governor Lujan Grisham will continue to put parents, students, and educators first.

The bottom line: Governor Lujan Grisham is the only candidate in the gubernatorial race in 2022 that has a record bringing Democrats and Republicans together to ensure students were safe in schools during the pandemic and in making investments to ensure New Mexico students get the high-quality education they deserve.

State of the State, part 2

State of the State: Governor Lujan Grisham Cements Record As Tax Cutter, Providing Relief To New Mexico Families and Small Businesses

Albuquerque, NM – In her 2022 State of the State address, Governor Lujan Grisham proposed two tax cuts for New Mexicans, emphasizing her record working to ensure New Mexico families can prosper.

Governor Lujan Grisham recognizes that global economic conditions are impacting New Mexicans from the gas pump to the grocery store. In order to mitigate the impact of the global economy, Governor Lujan Grisham has proposed cutting the taxes for every New Mexican by reducing the state's sales tax and by finally ending the tax on Social Security benefits.

Governor Lujan Grisham's proposal to cut the state's Gross Receipts Tax for the first time in 40 years would save New Mexicans more than $160 million a year. In addition, Governor Lujan Grisham would take action to finally end the burdensome Social Security Tax.

Governor Lujan Grisham has taken swift action in previous years to make everyday costs easier to shoulder. In 2019, Governor Lujan Grisham led the effort to raise the minimum wage gradually for the first time in more than a decade. Last year, Governor Lujan Grisham cut taxes for more than half a million families. She also acted quickly to put billions of dollars directly into the hands of New Mexicans, including a $600 personal income tax rebate, $1,200 in one-time benefits to over 100,000 New Mexicans out of work, and $5 million in direct assistance to low-income New Mexicans who were left out of the federal stimulus program.

With record revenue and federal investment, New Mexico can afford to cut taxes for hardworking families and businesses. As Republicans and conservatives have pointed out in years past, money belongs in the pockets of hard-working New Mexicans. Governor Lujan Grisham looks forward to bipartisan support for her tax cuts in the upcoming legislative session.

State of the State, part 3

State of the State: Governor Lujan Grisham Furthers Smart-On-Crime Strategy In 2022

Governor Lujan Grisham Builds On Bipartisan Record To Address Root Causes Of Crime and Increase Penalties For Violent Offenders

Albuquerque, NM – Today in her State of the State speech, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham detailed her plan to address crime in New Mexico. Building on her record of taking steps to both combat and prevent crime, Governor Lujan Grisham proposed a three-part comprehensive strategy to ensure the safety of every New Mexican.

Governor Lujan Grisham’s 2022 public safety plan comprises increasing penalties for violent crimes, including imposing a “rebuttable presumption,” 20% pay raises for state police officers, and the creation of a $100 million fund to be used by local law enforcement departments to recruit, hire, and train officers and civilian support positions.

In the past three years, Governor Lujan Grisham has implemented an “all of the above” public safety approach. In addition to remedying the officer shortage, the Lujan Grisham administration has worked to address the root causes of crime, such as poverty and access to affordable health care. Governor Lujan Grisham raised the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, cut taxes for families, doubled the number of community schools, sent targeted funding to schools with concentrated poverty, expanded child care and pre-k education, and eliminated financial barriers to higher education and career training. The Lujan Grisham administration has made strides in making health care, especially behavioral care, available to all New Mexicans. Since coming into office, Governor Lujan Grisham also capped costs for life-saving medicines, protected coverage for New Mexicans with pre-existing conditions, and eliminated co-pays for behavioral health.

In 2020, Governor Lujan Grisham brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass a crime package to increase penalties for violent offenders. Her administration has also invested over $100 million in law enforcement in the state, including $11 million to help departments hire and train new officers.

Unlike the Republicans running for the governor’s office in 2022, Governor Lujan Grisham has a track record of delivering on public safety initiatives – with bipartisan support, not just paying lip service to the divisive rhetoric coming out of D.C.

State of the State, part 4

State of the State: Governor Lujan Grisham Working To Ensure Every New Mexican Can Get The Care They Need – No Matter Where They Live

Albuquerque, NM – Today, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham touched on her plan to ensure every New Mexican has access to affordable, high-quality health care – no matter where they live.

In 2022, Governor Lujan Grisham is proposing a Rural Health Care Delivery Fund that will provide financing to help communities kickstart construction for hospitals without upfront costs. Governor Lujan Grisham has already acted to help Valencia County build a long-awaited hospital, ensuring residents get the health care facility they paid for – and deserve.

Governor Lujan Grisham is calling on legislators to support an expanded fund to compensate families who care for their older and disabled family members. As a caregiver herself, Governor Lujan Grisham knows how essential family members are in giving loved ones the best care and that's why she is committed to making an investment in the dignity and respect of New Mexico's elders. In addition, Governor Lujan Grisham is proposing to build a new state-of-the-artc veterans home in Truth or Consequences leveraged with $60 million in federal funds.

Governor Lujan Grisham's strong leadership has helped New Mexico climb out of the hole of destruction created by the previous administration's vendetta against health care providers, all while handling the uncertainty of policies and political-posturing out of D.C. Over the past three years, Lujan Grisham administration capped insulin prices, eliminated copays on behavioral health services, and started a fund to get every last New Mexican covered by insurance – bringing down costs for the entire state, and ensuring no New Mexican would ever have to choose between seeing a doctor and putting food on the table.