2020 Outlook

As we begin a new year – and a new decade – it is important to appreciate the efforts, work, history, and growth of our incredible organization. Prosperity Works was started with one primary goal: to remove barriers and create opportunity for financial equity and inclusion in the state of New Mexico. Throughout our 20 year history, we have worked tirelessly to do just that. Over the years, we have engaged with communities, legislators, business owners, and advocates across the state to champion and advance policies and practices that work to address the systemic factors that block financial stability and contribute to poverty.

 We are proud to have worked to create successful programs that continue to make a positive impact in New Mexico, like the New Mexico Individual Development Account program and Prosperity Kids, a matched children’s savings account. We are proud to have worked with partners across the state to reframe poverty and to encourage the shifting of attitudes and behaviors in addressing and working to alleviate poverty. We are proud to have championed access to fair lending for all New Mexicans and to hold lenders accountable for predatory practices - work our team continues to carry out today. And we are immensely proud of how far we’ve come and excited for what the future will bring.

 As we move forward, my vision for Prosperity Works is that we can become an accelerator for common cause issues around the state – those policy and programmatic efforts that endeavor to create an equitable economic and social landscape for all New Mexicans – so that we, as a network of partners, advocates, and leaders can really make the positive impact we hope to see for our State and our people. It is with a collaborative and relentless spirit that we will continue our work and I hope that you’ll join us.

2020 Policy Agenda Priorities
Prosperity Works supports

• Economic Development & Technology: 
  • Policies that increase broadband deployment in urban and rural areas, especially underserved areas, via public-private partnerships, coordinated initiatives and legislative actions for shared infrastructure, access, and beneficial tax policies
    
  • Funding and continuing the New Mexico Individual Development Account program.
• Education & Workforce Development: 
  • Substantial and sustained funding support for early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs for children’s healthy development and success
  • Quality childcare and education programs that are focused on children’s success in school, financial education, and measured outcomes​
  • Addressing student loan debt in NM through the adoption of a Student Loan Bill of Rights that would require the state to license and regulate student loan servicers to ensure servicers are providing accurate information to borrowers and correctly applying payments
  • Full and increased investment in talent-driven economic development strategies and programs, such as the Rapid Workforce Development fund
  • Ongoing workforce analysis to determine the skills and skill-levels required for current and future employers
  • Implementation of systems that allow for the transparent reporting of education fundin
  • Education initiatives that contribute to increasing overall education attainment for New Mexicans, including more efficient transfer between institutions and increased access to alternative educational pathways
• Environment & Energy
  • Addressing the energy burden on LMI households by funding targeted local government energy efficiency investments into underserved communities to help cut energy bills, improve the quality of affordable housing in the state, and further the state’s clean energy goals.
  • Making electric vehicles available to low and moderate-income families by doubling the tax credit for those who make $50k or less per year
  • Developing infrastructure for facilitating the goals and requirements of the Energy Transition Act, including but not limited to wind, solar and other renewable energy facilities and transmission lines to move the energy to markets both inside and outside New Mexic
• Regulatory & Government Accountability: 
  • Continuing to work toward ensuring access to fair lending for all New Mexicans. 
• Taxation:
  • Expanding the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) to further improve health, address disparities, and help families thrive in New Mexico.
• ​Workplace Issues & Legal Reform: 
  • Legislation which would allow for a voluntary savings program for private sector and nonprofit employees and the self-employed.
  • To provide an equitable, stable, safe, and family-friendly environment for employees and employers to promote sustainable economic development
  • Statewide uniformity of employment laws, such as paid or unpaid leave mandates, wage or fringe benefit mandates, and scheduling mandates