HOUSE MEMORIAL 7

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2023

INTRODUCED BY

Patricia Roybal Caballero and Eleanor Chávez and

Christine Trujillo and Pamelya Herndon

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND THE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF, AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW MEXICO BASIC INCOME FOR LOW-INCOME NEW MEXICANS AND TO REPORT ITS FINDINGS TO THE LEGISLATURE.

     WHEREAS, according to the United States census bureau, as of 2021, New Mexico has the third highest rate of poverty in the nation, with eighteen and four-tenths percent of New Mexicans living below the poverty level; and

     WHEREAS, according to the United States census bureau, as of 2021, New Mexico has the second highest rate of childhood poverty in the nation, with twenty-eight percent of New Mexican children living below the poverty level; and

     WHEREAS, according to the United States bureau of labor statistics, as of November 2022, New Mexico has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, at four and one-tenth percent; and

     WHEREAS, according to the workforce solutions department, in 2021, New Mexico has a low labor force participation rate of fifty-six and seven-tenths percent, and that rate continues to decline; and

     WHEREAS, the center for budget and policy priorities reports that as of 2019, forty-one percent of New Mexico households had incomes below the poverty line; and

     WHEREAS, as of May 2021, forty-four percent of New Mexico residents were enrolled in medicaid; and

     WHEREAS, "universal basic income" is defined as a government-guaranteed payment that each citizen receives; and

     WHEREAS, universal basic income is intended to provide money to citizens so that they can pay for necessities, whether or not they are employed; and

     WHEREAS, universal basic income is not intended to replace jobs; and

     WHEREAS, the national bureau of economic research concluded that universal and basic cash transfers do not significantly decrease aggregate employment; and

     WHEREAS, universal basic income studies have concluded that universal basic income boosts recipients' mental and financial well-being, improves employment rates and enables recipients to find full-time employment and pursue new opportunities; and

     WHEREAS, the Choctaw Nation is piloting a universal basic income program using federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funding; and

     WHEREAS, numerous cities and countries around the globe have instituted or studied some form of universal basic income; and

     WHEREAS, the cities of Santa Fe and Las Cruces are considering implementing basic income programs; and

     WHEREAS, because the federal measure for poverty does not take into consideration costs such as child care and health care, both of which draw from a person's income and are a determining factor in a person's ability to work, the federal measure does not give the full picture of what it will take to support worker-centered policies in New Mexico;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the secretary of human services and the secretary of workforce solutions be requested to convene a task force to study the impact that implementing a New Mexico basic income program for low-income New Mexicans would have on low-income New Mexicans and to make recommendations for implementing such a program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force consist of representatives of community organizations working on behalf of low-income communities and those agencies and organizations already working with those communities; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a representative from the office of the governor who is identified as working on issues affecting low-income New Mexicans be invited to participate in the task force by those agencies convening the task force; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its findings and recommendations and provide copies of its written report to the legislative finance committee and the chair and members of the legislative health and human services committee and any other appropriate legislative interim committees by November 1, 2023; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of human services, the secretary of workforce solutions, the director of the legislative finance committee and the chair of the legislative health and human services committee.

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