RENEWABLE ENERGY

New Mexico’s renewable energy future is happening now.  New Mexico is blessed with the some of the best renewable energy resources anywhere in the United States.  The Governor took bold steps in making our renewable energy future happen with the passage of the Energy Transition Act last year.  We need to keep moving New Mexico forward and make sure we are maximizing the creation of wind and solar with the abundance of resources we have.  In so doing we need to make sure the companies that are developing these resources are training our children for the workforce of the future and providing good jobs that can help our economy thrive and provide good wages for New Mexico families.  I will work hard and fight hard with the Governor to make our renewable energy future a reality.  Climate change and global warming are real.  We must protect our Mother Earth for our children and their children to love and enjoy.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Albuquerque is in midst of a crime epidemic.  When I was growing up as a little girl in this City, we never experienced the volume of crime or the naked violence everyday people and families in our city are experiencing today.  The numbers speak for themselves.  Eighty-two murders in Albuquerque last year.   Another fourteen at the end of February 2020.  Albuquerque only has eleven homicide detectives.  While other violent crime has come down it is still too high.  In 2019, the FBI reports that there were 1,563 aggravated assaults, 200 rapes and 718 robberies.

My husband and I had our own vehicle broken into when we were at Mass in January of this year.  While no one was injured and we thank God for that blessing, we know and have experienced some feelings of the loss and violation people feel when they are victims of crime.  Something has to change.  Our families need to feel safer.  Our streets need to be safer.

When I am in the legislature, I am going to fight to make sure APD has the resources it needs to fight crime.  We need more cops on the street. It should not take three hours or more for a police officer to come to your home when you have experienced a crime.  We need more detectives investigating the crimes and murders we already must fight to solve.  We need more cooperation between City and County law enforcement so that when a crime starts in the county but ends in the city we have a unified, non-bureaucratic, approach that protects the victim and not the criminal.  Finally, we need judges who are going to make the right decisions and do more to keep the most violent offenders behind bars so they do not get released and commit more crimes.  When I am in the Senate, I will introduce legislation to do all three.  Join me in this fight to take back our streets, protect our families so they can continue to thrive, and restore peace and order to our community.

HONORING COMMITMENTS TO SENIORS

You worked hard for what you have earned over a lifetime.  You have paid your dues.  You have lifted up this state and our country with your life of service and paying your taxes.  Some of those taxes you paid were on your Social Security.  New Mexico is one of only 13 states that tax your social security benefits twice, and we have the second harshest tax against seniors in the country, costing the average New Mexican being deprived of what they have earned almost $700 a year.  Taxing Social Security benefits is breaking the promise made to them by the Federal Government in the Social Security Act. When the average social security benefit is about $14,000 a year and the average annual cost of food, housing, and healthcare for seniors is double that amount, it does not add up.  We are bringing in about $73 Million a year in New Mexico from this tax and it is all on the backs of our seniors.  This has to stop.  When I am in the Senate, I will introduce legislation to stop it.  We have been blessed with a surplus of close to a billion a year in the last two years.  Surely, we can keep our promises to seniors by getting rid of this regressive, unfair tax.  I want to make New Mexico friendlier to seniors.  Join me in my fight to tell the State to keep their hands out of our senior’s wallets.

EDUCATION

It is our responsibility to ensure that every child is prepared with the right problem solving and technical skills so they can fulfill their dreams and help our state achieve our goals. Our state’s shared future is our childrens’ shared future, which means we are obligated to prepare them to succeed in life and our changing economy. New Mexico can do more for them. It is time for a change. As a former State Representative, I sponsored House Joint Resolution 22, a resolution that would give voters the opportunity to choose to increase funding for our schools. I also co-sponsored House Joint Resolution 10, a resolution that would provide for additional annual distribution of the permanent funds for the implementation and maintenance of education programs and early childhood education services. I fought for much needed funding to improve our community through the capital outlay process, and successfully brought thousands of dollars back to our schools.

Our children are our future. We need to make sure that our graduation rates increase and that we pay our teachers, principals, and educational personnel more. I am a proud product of the Albuquerque Public Schools. I attended Kirtland Elementary School, Wilson Middle School, and Highland High School. I have a voting record in support of education. As your State Senator, I will continue to fight for our teachers and our schools.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

We must diversify our economy to attract and grow new industries and create new jobs for all New Mexicans. We must focus on key industries and economies where New Mexico can lead the nation by using our state’s unique assets and emphasize on building in industries where there is already a momentum in our state. New Mexico can lead in aerospace, filmmaking, agriculture, cybersecurity, sustainable and renewable energy industries, bioscience, health, and tourism and outdoor industries. Business must be the ultimate driver of growth and job creation in our state. In unity, we can create more opportunities at a faster pace. As your State Senator, I sponsored House Memorial 65, which recognized the economic benefits of a bilingual workforce. We must revolutionize and transform our state government to a more business friendly state so that we can stop New Mexico’s brain drain and attract millennials to our state.

PROVEN RECORD

• Voted in favor of raising the minimum wage
• Voted in favor of renewable energy proposals
• Voted in favor of making it easier for our veterans to get tuition benefits
• Voted for strengthening criminal penalties for purveyors of pornography
• Voted for increasing penalties for those who commit crimes resulting in death
• Voted for in favor of stiffer DWI penalties
• Voted to make retail projects qualify for LEDA funding
• Voted in favor of our schools and our teachers
• Brought back much needed Capital Outlay funding to our city
• Proposed legislation to aid our homelessness population, HB 287 Homeless and Veteran Behavioral Health, and HB 318 Job Readiness Services for Homelessness
• Proposed HB 286, to recruit, train, and educate additional law enforcement officers and firefighters for community policing and community safety programs
• Sponsored HM 71 to help prevent Medicaid Fraud and Abuse
• Voted to increase certain child abuse penalties, HB 6