Priorities

Taos is as diverse as it is beautiful. We must continue on our path to protecting our land and water; expanding opportunity; diversifying the economy; and supporting women and families with common sense progressive policies. My priorities are simple:

• Housing for Everyone: New Mexicans of all incomes should be able to afford a place to live. Finding affordable and safe housing is the biggest challenge constituents face here in Taos and in many parts of the state. I am honored to champion legislation to protect tenants rights and support legislation and a budget that provides more funding to address homelessness and affordable housing.

• Grow educational opportunities for all New Mexicans: I was proud to vote to expand college to non-traditional students in NM and make sure it’s free for any student who works hard. We need to continue to grow more opportunities for early childhood education programs like home visitation and Pre-K to support our growing families and we need to continue to support and retain teachers. 

• Address Climate Change. Now: My life’s work is to protect the environment and address climate change. I sponsored CEED, which the Governor signed, a law that provides block grants to local and tribal governments to fund energy efficiency projects for low-income New Mexicans and those living in affordable housing. Energy efficiency is critical in our fight against climate change, as reducing energy usage reduces the amount of fossil fuels needed to power, heat, and cool our homes. 

• Economy and jobs: New Mexico’s economy is changing. We’re diversifying and growing. We’re creating new industries like film production, cannabis, local foods, and renewable energy - all of which create good-paying jobs. Last session we passed the Child Tax Credit and rebates for working families. These common sense pieces of legislation put money back into the hands of working families and help pay the bills. We can do more of this.