Great Legislative Session For Child Care

Thanks to your association’s efforts, the New Mexico Legislative Session was a great success for child care programs throughout the state.

Successes include:

• $2.5 million appropriated to increase the subsidy to children up to 165% of poverty.
  
• $2 million to increase child care provider rates to help with the increased minimum wage
  (This is the 3rd year recently that your association has lobbied forand gotten an increase in provider rates!)?
  
• $200,000 for expansion of the TEACH program.
  
  Other legislation that may affect your programs includes:
  
• An increase in the minimum wage beginning January 1, 2008 to $6.50 per hour. January 1, 2009 the wage goes to $7.50 per hour. There are no indexing or periodic increases based upon inflation. Communities who have not increased their local minimum wage cannot expand it above the state amount for two years.
  
• An additional $3 million to CYFD for Pre K services.
  
  Legislation that we worked on, but did not pass:
  
• Removal of the gross receipts tax on all payments for child care. We will be back to try this bill next year.
  
• $1 million to help pay the insurance premiums for child care workers.

Look for the PreK RFP to come out soon. I hope many of you will apply for this money. If CYFD providers do not step up to provide this service, the money is likely to be shifted over to the Public Education Department.

Happy Spring!

Please feel free to contact me with questions or issues:
lsiegle1@earthlink.net/a>
471-3563 or cell 690-5850.
Linda Siegle has been our lobbyist since 2000.