Advocacy Agenda Summary

2024 Advocacy Agenda Summary

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – NM is called to advocate for justice in public policy, with a particular emphasis on alleviating poverty and hunger, by speaking with and for those who have little or no political power and supporting ELCA members, congregations, and ecumenical partners in the ministry of advocacy.  As a state public policy office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Rocky Mountain Synod, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – NM speaks on behalf of the official positions of the ELCA as applied to the specific context of public policy issues in New Mexico.

Our 2024 Advocacy Agenda can be found HERE.

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Our recent Advocacy Update is HERE.

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Affordable Housing & Homelessness

  • Funding for programs that assist people experiencing homelessness
  • Funding for programs that can prevent homelessness
  • Support for the state Housing Trust Fund and the NM Mortgage Finance Authority and legislation that would expand the supply of low-income and affordable housing units

Family-Sustaining Income

  • Support for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families & other cash assistance programs and support efforts to remove barriers to access
  • Support funding for childcare assistance & quality early childhood education programs
  • Support for policies that reduce the overall rate of poverty in New Mexico
  • Oppose changes in the formula used to determine distributions to the Early Childhood Trust Fund
  • Support increase in state’s minimum wage of $12 (effective 1 Jan 23)
  • Support for Paid Family & Medical Leave Act (pending Gov’s Call.)

Health Care

  • Support efforts to increase outreach to & enrollment of those eligible for Medicaid or the NM Health Insurance Exchange
  • Support for efforts to increase the affordability of prescription drugs
  • Protect  the Insurance Affordability Fund
  • Support for continued study of the Health Security Act and Medicaid for All proposals

Hunger

  • Support additional funding for the state SNAP supplement program & removing barriers to SNAP and other financial assistance program enrollment
  • Support efforts to close New Mexico’s food gap & funding for food banks
  • Support key hunger and infrastructure provisions of the Governor’s Food Initiative
  • Support policies that reduce the overall rate of poverty in New Mexico

Tax Policy

  • Support tax policy that is fair and provides stable, sustainable & adequate revenue to meet the needs of our state, particularly the most vulnerable
  • Oppose legislation that would re-institute gross receipts tax on Food
  • Support comprehensive evaluation of and reform of New Mexico’s tax structure
  • Oppose permanent tax cuts

Criminal Justice 

  • Support restrictions using private and county jails to detain immigrants and asylum seekers
  • Support revisions to criminal justice system fines and fees

Care of Creation

  • Support legislative action that prioritizes sufficiency and sustainability with respect to the environmental issue at hand and promotes solidarity with those most impacted.
  • Support legislative action that prioritizes the restoration, protection, and care of our air, land, and water.
  • Support legislative action that proactively addresses climate change.
  • Support amending the state’s constitution by adding a provision known as the Green Amendment

Good Governance

  • Support election reform that would reduce barriers to voter registration and voting in elections, protect and preserve voting rights, and create open primary elections
  • Support an amendment to the state’s constitution to create an independent redistricting commission
  • Support amending the state’s constitution that would address modernization to include legislator compensation, modifications to sessions, and scope of bills

Note: The LAM-NM Policy Committee may add issues as opportunities arise.

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