Clear Horizons Act
New Mexico has what it takes to build a land of opportunity for our families. Opportunities to live and work in a state with clean air, land, and water for generations to come. Our hardworking New Mexico families deserve to be treated with respect and care, especially by companies and industries that can afford to do more to lower pollution and create a healthier environment. This year, CCP is supporting three bills with the goal of putting the health and well-being of our communities first, these bills include the Clear Horizons Act, Community Benefits Fund, and Innovation in Government Act.
Stop Ivey-Soto
State Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto has been credibly accused by multiple women of a long history of sexual harassment, bullying, and abuse. Several groups have called on Ivey-Soto to resign. Short of his resignation, there are additional steps that Senate leadership can take to hold him accountable and prevent further harm.
New Mexico deserves better.
Early Childhood Education – Vote Yes for Kids
In 2022, voters made it clear that New Mexico needs to prioritize early education for children across the state. Constitutional Amendment 1 passed with 70% support, increasing the amount of money our state invests in our children. The Constitutional Amendment will allocate roughly $150 Million to the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department for early childhood education and roughly $100 million will go to the Public Education Department to improve educational outcomes for at-risk students.
Modernization of the NM Legislature
New Mexico is the last state to utilize a “Citizen Legislature” – meaning our elected officials in the Roundhouse are not paid a salary. This may have made sense when our state was founded, but the system no longer serves our communities and CCP is proud to be a part of the efforts to modernize our legislative bodies and infrastructure. We support efforts like increasing capacity with paid internal staff, which is new this year, amending New Mexico’s constitution to create a citizen commission on legislative salaries, and increasing the length of our legislative sessions to ensure important bills and policies are not stalled or curtailed.
Election Protection
Voters should feel safe when they cast their votes – full stop. The Center for Civic Policy supports New Mexico’s Secretary of State and our state’s Voter Bill of Rights and will continue our work to fight disinformation and voter intimidation. CCP supports our community partners who train poll watchers and poll monitors, increasing the safety and credibility of our elections.
NM Voting Rights Act
In 2023, the Center for Civic Policy worked with a powerful coalition to pass the New Mexico Voting Rights Act, which sought to restore the voting rights of previously incarcerated people, increase access to voting for tribal communities, make voter registration easier, and expand voters’ options to cast their ballot. The coalition successfully helped get this critical legislation passed, including the first ever Native American Voting Rights Act, and is still following the implementation of this legislation.