By REP. CHRISTINE CHANDLERNow that the 2019 legislative session has come to an end, I wanted first to thank District 43 for the honor of serving you. I was proud to represent our district alongside hardworking staff, legislators, and advocates for the betterment of New Mexico. With a new energetic governor, the state legislature had one of the most productive sessions in years, ushering in transformative policy towards a brighter future.
Together, we passed education reforms including allocating more monies for schools and higher teacher pay, expanding trade school training programs and enacting administrative reforms to retain New Mexico teachers and overhaul education accountability. To focus on the most critical foundation for positive outcomes, we established a department of Early Childhood Education to ensure a lifetime of success for all New Mexicans. According to our District 43 pre-legislative survey, education was overwhelmingly the top priority and we were able to deliver. These investments are part of an education “moonshot” toward economic prosperity that works for everyone.
The state’s long-neglected infrastructure was also prioritized this session. All told, we produced a budget that invests $400 million into our roads: supporting our local economies, expanding jobs and improving public safety. We are investing $900 million in long postponed or vetoed infrastructure projects including rebuilding our sewers and acequias, expanding and speeding up broadband access, and funding brick-and mortar projects such as schools, libraries and community centers.
In the interest of transparency, my capital outlay requests are available on my website: www.Christine4StateHouse.com. Our surplus enabled supporting critical infrastructure throughout our district. And, with the Governor’s signature on my $150,000 funding request, Los Alamos’s health clinic’s currently very limited hours will be expanded to better serve our community’s needs.
Public safety was also a priority during this year’s legislative session. We passed important reforms including addressing the roots of crime by increasing mental health and substance abuse treatment and supporting expanded diversion programs for non-violent criminals. We also worked to prevent another rape kit backlog by protecting the right to expedited kit testing for the victims of sexual assault.
Enhancing ethics and transparency in government, the state now has an ethics commission approved by voters and finalized during this session. The Governor also signed my bill closing loopholes in lobbyist reporting to ensure constituents know where money is being spent to influence their elected officials at the roundhouse.
Of my legislation, Governor Lujan Grisham has also signed bills protecting teachers from unfair evaluations. She signed my bills creating a fairer, more transparent process in acequia water disputes and expanding economic development dollars for local small businesses who partner with Los Alamos National Laboratory. These small business partners are vital for growing our local economy and supporting the lab’s mission.
Additionally, of critical importance was the passage of the GRT tax bill that ensures continued, sustainable revenues for the community and state regardless of the corporate structure of the Laboratory contractor. This bill, which I co-sponsored, received broad bi-partisan support and was promptly signed into law by the Governor.
Thank you for the calls, texts, emails, and visits letting me know your thoughts and concerns about legislation; our citizen legislative process is most vibrant when we all participate. Though we had a fantastic start, there is still work to be done and I will be working hard during the interim. I plan on post-legislative events to discuss the session and future plans. Please stay tuned by signing up for my email list at my website www.Christine4StateHouse.com. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve.
