HOUSE MEMORIAL 66

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Rhonda S. King

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF REPRESENTATIVE DANICE PICRAUX IN THE NEW MEXICO HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

     WHEREAS, Dr. Danice Picraux has served in the New Mexico house of representatives since 1991; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has been a pioneer and a tireless advocate for health care, children, education, working families, small businesses, safe communities, consumer privacy, science and technology, women's equality, disability rights and cultural affairs, as well as for the people who have elected her year after year; and

     WHEREAS, Danice is a proud, loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother, supported in her work by her husband, Dr. Tom Picraux; her daughters, Jeanine Picraux, Laura Picraux and Samantha Picraux; and her grandchildren, Raymond Hughes, Daniel Hughes and Rachel Picraux; and

     WHEREAS, anyone who has met Danice has surely heard her say that she loves the legislative process, a process to which she has brought the insights of a professor of political science; and

     WHEREAS, as a passionate advocate for good government, Danice has taken pride for twenty-two years in communicating comprehensive and accurate information to her constituents about the goings-on in state government; and

     WHEREAS, Danice was the second woman in the history of New Mexico to be elected as majority leader in the house of representatives, after first being elected by her colleagues as democratic whip; and

     WHEREAS, during her tenure in the legislature, Danice has served as democratic caucus chair, as chair of the legislative health and human services committee, vice chair of the house appropriations and finance committee, vice chair of the voters and elections committee, vice chair of the rules and order of business committee and vice chair of the higher education committee and as a member of the legislative education study committee, the tobacco settlement revenue oversight committee, the science, technology and telecommunications committee, the printing and supplies committee and many other standing and interim committees; and

     WHEREAS, Danice made her mark on New Mexico early on, when in 1997, she shepherded through groundbreaking school finance legislation that educators both locally and nationally called the most significant in nearly a quarter-century; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has devotedly lent support to education and learning in general, advocating for local school districts, the university of New Mexico, central New Mexico community college, the New Mexico academy of science, scholarship programs, Title IX programs to increase opportunities in sports for girls, funding for libraries and literacy, health care education and programs to foster educational opportunities for women and minorities; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has worked for full-day kindergarten, early childhood home-visiting, early childhood screenings, immunizations and interventions and funding for pre-kindergarten and daycare programs; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has been responsible for much of the health care legislation heard in the house during her tenure, including bills to provide affordable health care to all New Mexicans, to provide medicaid and other public coverage for low-income residents, to promote best practices in health care delivery such as the patient-centered medical home and to increase efficiencies in public health care purchasing, as well as legislation that long anticipated federal health care reform; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has passionately advocated for meeting the state's growing need for a health care work force, sponsoring bills to create and fund a New Mexico health service corps and other health care work force "pipeline" programs to train, gather data and provide incentives to recruit and retain qualified health care workers in the state; and

     WHEREAS, Danice helped pass laws related to the safety and welfare of children and families, including many laws to address, define and report the crime of domestic violence; to end child abuse and exploitation; to provide a living wage; and to provide a safe environment and clean, safe air and water; and

     WHEREAS, Danice's interest in technology fostered New Mexico's innovative use of technology in delivering health care, funding for green technology, biotechnology and bioengineering programs and opportunities for women in science and engineering; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has fostered cultural institutions in the state such as Explora, the New Mexico museum of natural history, the New Mexico holocaust and intolerance museum and many programs to promote New Mexico culture and history; and

     WHEREAS, for her leadership in promoting public libraries, Danice was awarded the New Mexico library association legislator of the year award in 1999; and

     WHEREAS, Danice has helped many other women to learn the political process and run for office through groups such as the southwest women's law center and emerge New Mexico, from which she received the woman of the year award in 2008; and

     WHEREAS, while meeting the demanding schedule of a state legislator, Danice continued in her career as a professor of political science; and

     WHEREAS, as a legislator and political scientist, Danice has never given in to cynicism regarding the challenges of the democratic process and as a news story on her legislative work reveals, for Danice, democracy "is a work in progress," as she is quoted saying, "[O]ne of these years, we'll look back and say we can be proud of some things and see that we need to change other things. That's the opportunity of democracy. It's phenomenal. One person can make a difference."; and

     WHEREAS, through her many accomplishments on behalf of the people of New Mexico, Representative Danice Picraux is the embodiment of the idea that one person can make a difference in the democratic process, and she will be very much missed as she retires from her legislative career;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it express its sincere gratitude and congratulations to Representative Danice Picraux for her long and distinguished service to the people of New Mexico as a member of the house of representatives; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Representative Picraux be congratulated on her many accomplishments as a legislator and wished well in her upcoming retirement from public service; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to Representative Danice Picraux.

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