Advocacy Agenda Summary

2025 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 2025 Advocacy Agenda Summary can be found HERE.

A review of the 2024 Legislative Session and the outcome of key bills can be found HERE.

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Our most recent Advocacy Update is HERE.

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Affordable Housing & Homelessness

  • Funding for programs that assist people experiencing homelessness and programs that can prevent homelessness
  • Support Landlord/Tenant excessive fees legislation
  • Support $750k appropriation for attorney services for eviction court
  • Support revisions to the Mobile Home Act that would offer right to purchase and prevent excessive rental increases
  • Support proposals that protect existing supply & expand affordable housing in New Mexico

Family-Sustaining Income

  • Support for continued investments in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families & other cash assistance programs (e.g. SNAP Supplements) and support efforts to remove barriers to access. 
  • Support funding for childcare assistance & quality early childhood education programs
  • Support increase in state’s minimum wage of $12 (effective 1 Jan 23)
  • Support policies that reduce the overall rate of poverty in New Mexico
  • Support Paid Family & Medical Leave Act
  • Support Stay-at-Home Fund for NM Mothers

Health Care

  • Support efforts to further restrict age-to-purchase, automatic weapon purchase and possession, and large-capacity magazines
  • Support for efforts to increase affordability & cost transparency of prescription drugs
  • Support appropriation of $200 million for a dedicated fund for behavioral health services
  • Support for continued funding Medicaid Forward for all New Mexicans

Hunger

  • Support additional funding for the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) & removal of barriers to SNAP and other financial resource support program’s eligibility
  • Support a $10 million appropriation to support emergency food purchases by New Mexico Food Banks
  • Support $4 million appropriation for college students struggling with basic food needs
  • Support full funding of the Universal Healthy School Meals program
  • Support key provisions of the Governor’s Food initiative
  • Support policies that would reduce the overall rate of poverty in New Mexico

Tax Policy

  • Tax policy that is fair and provides stable, sustainable & adequate revenue to meet the needs of our state, particularly those services and programs that support the most vulnerable New Mexicans
  • Oppose efforts to re-institute gross receipts tax on food
  • Support additional increases to the state’s Child Tax Credit for children under 6
  • Support increasing the state’s matching percentage of the Working Families Tax Credit
  • Support changes to the state’s PIT rates to remove remaining regressivity
  • Support increase of the state’s royalty rate on state lands from 20% to 25%
  • Oppose permanent tax cuts

Criminal Justice 

  • Support restrictions using private, municipal, and county jails to detain immigrants
  • Support revisions to criminal justice system fines and fees
  • Monitor proposed modernization of the state’s children’s code

Care of Creation

  • Support legislative action that prioritizes sufficiency and sustainability concerning 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 ending existing oil and gas subsidies
  • 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 amendments to the state’s constitution that would address legislative 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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