Haaland Outlines Bold Vision for New Mexico's Future, Doesn't Shy Away from the Issues During Legislative Address

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) outlined her bold vision for the future of New Mexico that includes a Green New Deal with good paying jobs, universal pre-k for New Mexico families, Medicare for All, and a recreational marijuana economy.

Haaland also hit on important issues that are being addressed on the federal level, as well as at the state level including gun violence, campaign finance reform, voting rights and access to safe, legal abortion.

Congresswoman Haaland's legislative address is below as prepared for delivery:

Speaker Egolf -- Pro Tem Papen - Leader Williams Stapleton - Leader Wirth- Leader Townsend - Leader Ingle -- Governor Lujan Grisham, New Mexico legislators and honored guests; thank you for the invitation to join you today. I am excited to be with you. And, of course, to be back home!

Congratulations on the Rocket Docket! Happy President's Day.

I've watched as priorities that will work for New Mexico families have gotten across the finish line in the House and in the Senate and I'm so pleased that we have a government that is getting things done for the people of our state.

To everyone in the Gallery, whether you're here with your parents, with a class, or with a group to advocate for your community, I want to acknowledge you and thank you for being active in our process. At one time, I was you -- I was sitting up in the Gallery, watching our legislators working for us on the floor, listening to the debate and watching this grand tradition that is the New Mexico Roundhouse.

On the floor you hear the New Mexico version of Spanglish being spoken between members and greetings in Tiwa, Keres, and Diné by people who have deep roots in their communities. That's some of why I love our state!

My story is not unlike many New Mexicans' -- I grew up in a military family where my dad worked every day with a mission to protect our country, while my mom ensured we did our school work, and at the same time, taught us our Pueblo culture, which always meant teaching me about New Mexican food. My grandparents, whose ancestors passed down our great New Mexico agricultural tradition, also did their part to move our family into the modern era. They worked hard on the railroad and got ahead, had a retirement income, and healthcare.

Even though it often seems the wind is in our face and not at our backs, today, is a new day and the sun is shining bright over the horizon.

For young women and girls, and all New Mexicans they see a forward thinking and courageous governor leading the way for our great state. They can look at this room full of women legislators who made the decision to lead and are leading. I'm proud that women now hold more seats in our legislature than ever before.

Our young women and girls can also look at our US Congress and see TWO Native American women casting votes in the nation's Capitol, the first Hispanic woman, a Democrat representing Southern New Mexico's 2nd district, the youngest members ever and the most diverse Congress; very much like our own elected members right here on this floor today.

Thank you, for pushing forward campaign finance reform and shining a light on dark money in politics. Leader Wirth and Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver thank you for your relentless work on Senate Bills 3 and 4.

In Congress, we're also acting on these issues building transparency and working to get big money out of politics with the FOR THE PEOPLE ACT. It's our commitment to ensuring elected officials are working for the people and not wealthy donors.

The intensive work of protecting the integrity of our elections is important to all of us, I'm proud of our Secretary of State, who understands that at the core of making government work FOR the people is to ensure that elections are wholly accessible TO the people. Thank you also for taking the lead on the Native American Voting Task Force! As an organizer, I wholeheartedly support Madam Secretary's proposal for same day voter registration.

Now, our country has so many dire needs -- families can't get ahead. But we saw the sweeping change statewide in the last election and the sun is rising on better days ahead.

We have the POTENTIAL to create good paying jobs, and make sure every New Mexican has a higher wage.
We have the RESPONSIBILITY to ensure every child has an opportunity for a quality public education so they can have a bright future.
We have the COMPASSION to ensure every New Mexican has access to affordable quality health care.
Because of all of you, I know we will continue to make progress on these issues and New Mexico will be a place where we can all grow together.
I have often spoken of the need to raise the minimum wage. I support the legislation you are working on right now to help ensure that anyone who works full time earns enough to have a roof over their head and food on the table for themselves and their families.

Part of this new day in our state, has everything to do with diversifying our economy. I'm not going to sugar coat our current situation -- our entire economy rests on one industry. One single boom or bust can change the course of our future. The biggest challenge we face is building a sustainable economic foundation in our state; one that doesn't rely on booms and busts.

We have the potential to be leaders by bringing in the Green New Deal; a renewable energy economy -- where jobs pay a living wage, AND we protect our land, our air, and our water for future generations, while fighting the issue of our time, which is climate change.

Thank you Governor Lujan-Grisham for signing the commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement for our state.

We know that when we don't get snow in the winter it's going to be a bad water year for farmers; we know that after fire season - comes the monsoon season, and that is worrisome too. We're deeply connected, it's part of who we are. In each of your districts from Shiprock to the Organ Mountains, to the South Valley in Albuquerque -- every inch of land has beauty worth protecting.

Just a couple weeks ago, I introduced my first bill alongside Senator Tom Udall -- The ANTIQUITIES Act of 2019 ensures our National Monuments will not fall victim to any president's whim to sell off our public lands to the highest bidder. We have a responsibility to ensure our heritage remains intact and these lands will always be accessible for future generations.

On that same note and in that same week, we heard great news: 9 parcels of land near Chaco Canyon will not be put up for lease next month. Together, New Mexicans successfully protected our treasured New Mexico heritage, the ancestral homelands of the Pueblo Indians, from the profit driven oil companies, but we're not out of the woods yet. My hat goes off to New Mexico Representatives Georgene Louis, Wonda Johnson, and Derrick Lente for sponsoring resolutions and legislation to protect these sacred lands.

We can absolutely, reap the benefit of our more than 300 days of sun per year. Not only is our prized sunshine a viable source of sustainable energy, a Green New Deal has the potential to create thousands of good paying jobs in technology and manufacturing.

Through my role as Vice Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, I can help New Mexico become a leader in tackling climate change, while ensuring we have an equitable transition to renewable energy -- that's exactly what the Green New Deal is all about. It's about putting people to work, supporting our Labor Unions and their fight for working families, re-envisioning the direction of our economy and most importantly, SAVING OUR PLANET.

Renewable energy is one route to building a new day for our state -- another game changer would be legalizing recreational marijuana. It would open up a new revenue stream for our state, and a whole new economy and the jobs that come with it.

At the same time, it would keep our criminal justice system from targeting nonviolent offenses - which more often than not are people of color filling private prisons. This issue has the potential to free up our courts and our law enforcement so they can focus on tackling violent crime, while opening up a new agricultural industry for our farmers. The time to legalize it is now.

The revenues can help us meet the constitutional obligation to fund schools appropriately, so teachers get paid what they deserve and all our children have a quality public education and the brightest futures. Thank you Governor and legislators, for taking on the moonshot challenge to fund our public school system at the level it deserves.

I want to take a moment to give some love to all of our educators, our teachers, our administrators, the folks who feed our students and ensure clean learning spaces, bus drivers and everyone in between. I am a proud product of our public school system - a Hornet and a Lobo, and your contributions to our children's future are important, courageous, and appreciated, no matter what Donald Trump Jr. says.

I was 28 when I started my college education, because I didn't know that college was for me. I want every child in New Mexico to know that college, trade schools, job training are options for everyone, and I'll do all I can to support education, but more importantly, to support dreams!

It is my great pleasure to acknowledge former New Mexico Senator and Majority Leader Michael Sanchez and many of the folks in this chamber today for making higher education accessible to thousands of New Mexico high school graduates, including my daughter, by shepherding the Lottery Scholarship through the legislature.

There's one solid way to ensure a child has the right start in life, and that's universal pre-k. It is exactly what every family in this state needs access to. I struggled to make ends meet as a single parent. When I was raising my daughter, I had the same concerns that all parents living on a limited income have - to give my child the best start in life. I volunteered at the pre-school to help pay for tuition, so that Somáh could have that best start, but I know that isn't an option for all parents.

When a child has access to early childhood learning, they are more likely to attend college and more likely to end the cycle of poverty. I struggled to ensure my daughter had the early learning she needed and today, she's a UNM graduate with the world at her feet. All of our children deserve that!

Now I can tell you my first few weeks in Congress were not easy -- I was sworn-in during the government shutdown. On my first trip back to the district I hosted a roundtable with federal workers, small businesses, and economic leaders in Albuquerque. It was heartbreaking to hear the stories of people who live paycheck-to-paycheck, not knowing when the next one would come. On the first day, I voted for and the House passed a bill that would fund the government. We passed 11 such bills. Instead of it ending there, the shutdown persisted for an unnecessary 35 days.

As we know, these shutdowns significantly and disproportionately impact Tribal Nations by cutting off federal funding for public safety, health care services, and food distribution programs. This is why I co-introduced two pieces of legislation to provide advanced appropriations for basic services in Indian Country. These bills will ensure that: 1) the delivery of health care and public safety services are available for Native Americans during future governments shutdowns; and 2) Indian health care providers can pay their employees. It's part of my priority to ensure the federal government lives up to its trust obligations to Tribes.

Additionally, I'm committed to putting an end to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. I applaud Senate leaders here who have taken up this silent crisis and I am proud to take this fight to Capitol Hill.

Thank you Senator Linda Lopez for your profound leadership on this issue. Thank you Representatives Andrea Romero, Derrick Lente, Melanie Stansbury, and Doreen Wonda Johnson for sponsoring HB 278 that will create a task force to determine how to increase state resources for reporting and identifying missing and murdered indigenous women in the state.

We all agree that New Mexicans deserve access to quality health care, so we must challenge the corporate structure of our health care system and focus on the needs of families. Everyone must be able to see a doctor without breaking the bank, and not having to choose between medicine and food. I'll be working to make Medicare for All a reality on the federal level. It's a model that has been proven in countries around the world to lower costs, increase efficiency, and ensure the most people have access to care. Thank you, Representative Debbie Armstrong, for your work on the Health Security Act.

Here in New Mexico we know the border is not a scary place. This administration's account of the border is inaccurate and divisive. The unlawful decisions by this administration have needlessly made it increasingly dangerous for families fleeing violence and devastating economic unrest in their countries to exercise their legal right to seek asylum.

With the information I compiled while visiting the border recently, it's clear that we need a comprehensive immigration approach that recognizes the humanity and dignity of all people. The president's declaration of a national emergency on the border will not stand. In Congress, I will work to prevent any CIRCUMVENTION of the law and of our constitution!

This President tries to divide us and tries to tear us apart, he has taken on every single group in our country, just recently when the Supreme Court ruled against transgender members serving in the United States military I raised the transgender flag outside of my DC office, and invited Bunnie Benton Cruse, the board chair of the Transgender Resource Center in New Mexico to visit my office. To all transgender troops, I say thank you for serving our country, and thank you to ALL of our Veterans for their service.

I will always stand for equality and inclusion and absolutely against divisiveness and hate, and this means an unwavering commitment to our LGBTQ+ communities.

Let me be clear, a woman has the right to choose what happens with her own body without interference from the government. Thank you State Representative Joanne Ferrary and all the courageous women and men who spoke out in favor of and voted for House Bill 51 which eliminates outdated language from statute and protects women and doctors from being criminalized for something that is not a crime, because abortion is legal in this country.

I am greatly honored and humbled by the trust that New Mexicans have placed in me as one of the first Native American women elected to Congress. The issues that are important to New Mexico are also important to the entire country: fighting climate change while promoting a Green New Deal, fixing with our broken healthcare system, strengthening public education, protecting our bases and research labs that are doing groundbreaking research while helping keep the peace around the world; and I will continue to bring to the forefront, issues important to our Native American families.

The sun is rising, let's seize the day and move our state forward TOGETHER. It's always great to be home! Thank you.

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