New Mexico State Senator Dede Feldman's Blog

Change Takes Time

 

 

    Nov. 4, the day after the day after.....Earlier this week, walking the North Valley for Rep. Martin Heinrich, I came across this sign.  It reminded me that we are all on a windy path, with fits and starts, reversals, then sudden accelerations. And we can’t give up hope just because it’s taking a long time.

 

One reason I supported Martin Heinrich was that he didn’t back down from the sudden accelerations that the Obama administration started in the past two years.  These are not just the big-ticket items like health care and financial reform.  They are long-delayed items like the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which makes it harder to discriminate against women in the workplace, and a law making it harder for credit card companies to surprise you with sudden interest rate increases.  They are laws that give our college students hope and opportunities like the revamp of the student loan program and the increase in size of AmeriCorps and other service projects.  

Rachel Maddow mentioned these on her TV program the night before the election and I agree.  The Democrats could easily have kept their power dry, hoping not to offend anyone, but instead they chose to go for it. They used the political opening created by the 2006 & 2008 elections to enact some truly landmark legislation.  The impact of that legislation will not be felt for years from now—but if we can hold the line—there will be a tremendous benefit.

The same is true at the state level.  I’ve often fought official opponents to children’s’ and public health protection who say that state regulation won’t do anything but enlarge government and impede individual freedom.  That was the argument against changing the system of licensing young drivers back in 1999, when I and a number of traffic safety advocates (including the Automobile Association) said that the way to bring down the high crash rate for teens was to make them spend more time behind the wheel –practicing with an adult-- before giving them a full license.  With much difficulty, we prevailed, and even got then Gov. Garry Johnson to sign the bill.   

And now it’s beginning to pay off, eleven years later. Even the SF New Mexican, which railed against the “Nanny State" (I was the chief Nanny), now admits it was wrong in this article from a few days ago. Here’s the article…

 Graduated-license laws help cut teen driving fatalities

The New Mexican

Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 10/28/10

   
We're not major proponents of nanny government — and we're longtime supporters of teenagers' rights and responsibilities. But turn-of-the-century proposals to make teens work their way into adult driving privileges had plenty of appeal — the biggest being the chance that such an approach would save lives.

And it has: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the people who keep all kinds of grim statistics, reported recently that fatalities among teen drivers are down by a long ways: Between 2004 and 2008, they had fallen by one-third.

There might be other reasons for that encouraging news: safer cars, maybe even sky-high gas prices. But the feds give most of the credit to what are now known as graduated-license laws.

New Mexico was among the earlier states to impose rules on under-18 drivers. We made licensing a three-stage process:

• Six-month instructional permits, for which youngsters 15 and older, and their parents, must apply, and which involve tests and state-approved driver instruction, as well as 50 hours of supervised driving practice, among other requirements — including driving only when there's someone 21 or older on board.
• Provisional licenses, which depend on compliance with the instruction-period rules and passing a road-skills exam. For the next year, unless there's someone 21 or older along for the ride, the holder can't have more than one other kid in the car who isn't an immediate family member. And, with few exceptions, no driving between midnight and 5 a.m.
• Full licenses come only after completion of the two earlier stages — with clean driving records.

That's a far cry from what middle-aged Americans had to do for a driver's license — and for the many super-responsible teens we know, the requirements might be onerous.

But they're working — in fact, in places like New York and New Jersey, where the rules are even stricter, the fatality rates are lower. And in Wyoming, where kids are behind the wheel earlier than nearly anywhere, the teen fatality rate is highest.

That makes graduated licenses look pretty good — and makes a strong argument for demanding 'em nationally.

Politically, they might not be popular — and who wants to be the spoil-sport who ramrods them through a legislature?...

 The moral of the story is —like the sign says—Don’t Give up….Change Takes Time in Santa Fe as in Washington.  We might look like “spoil sports” now, but give it a few years.

           And as the leadership changes in the Statehouse, we hope that some common sense will prevail and not all reforms will be thrown out the window.  Some of them might save lives and money in the long run.

 

 

 

Popular Reforms in New Health Care Law Set To Take Effect This Week

Sen. Dede Feldman highlights personal stories of families helped by new reforms, warns against repeal of provisions protecting consumers 

 Wednesday September 22  Sen.Dede Feldman ( D- District 13) today  joined advocates and New Mexico families at the first of  several events in Albuquerque highlighting the six-month anniversary of the signing of federal health care reform into law. Sept. 23 is the date on which many key provisions of the new law are set to take effect. These  reforms include a ban on insurers denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions, a ban on dropping patients after they get sick, an end to lifetime caps on coverage, and the provision of free preventative care under all new plans.

 Today’s events at the IBEW  Hall at 4921 Alexander Blvd. NE included a news conference sponsored by Health Action New Mexico explaining provisions to go into effect Sept. 23  as well as an assembly of seniors and retirees focusing on the benefits for seniors.

 The NM Public Interest Group (PIRG) will sponsor a news conference at 10 a.m Thursday Sept. 23 at the Student Health Services Office on the UNM main campus to highlight the provisions affecting students and other young adults who may now stay on their parents plan through age 26.  A panel discussion with doctors and students will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Student Union Building.  

 "No one should be denied health care coverage because they have a pre-existing condition. No one should be dropped from a health plan they are already enrolled in just for getting sick," said Feldman. "Starting this week, for new policies, people who are very sick with cancer, or whose children have serious diseases like cystic fibrosis will not be out of luck when they hit an annual or lifetime limit imposed by their insurance companies.”

 Feldman said the ban on insurance companies denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions will extend to adults come 2014, under the new law.  Until then people like Ruth Titus, a 59-year old cook from Taos with a history of bladder cancer, and Kim and Eddy Graham, of Belen, who both have Hepatitis C, can get coverage from a new high risk pool funded by the new law and operated by the state. 

 “This is just one of the opportunities New Mexicans will be able to take advantage of as a result of the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act,” she said.  “In only six months, New Mexico has already gotten over $40 million to help people with serious illnesses like Ruth Titus and the Grahams, as well as to train nurses, strengthen insurance rate review, and help with home visiting programs for first time moms.   

 "The health care law passed in March was by no means perfect. But as we heard today, these reforms are now bringing relief and stability to thousands of families across the state," she said "While we need to fight to continue  to improve the law, the stories we’re hearring in committee  and from our constituents prove beyond any doubt that we cannot afford to repeal it and go back to the days of rampant insurance company abuses."

  The events are part of a series of events in 30 states nationwide organized by state legislators in collaboration with Health Action New Mexico, PIRG, LULAC, the NM Alliance for Retired Americans, Progressive States Network and the Working Group of State Legislators for Health Reform. For more information, visit http://progressivestates.org/statefedhealth.

For more information on the full slate of health care reforms set to take effect on September 23rd, visit www.healthcare.gov. or call Sen. Feldman at 505-220-5958.

 

 

 

Better Choices Press Conference-Santa Fe 1-26-2010

We all want choices that balance the state budget without hurting New Mexico working families. There are better choices that raise revenue and balance the budget without jeopardizing New Mexico's future. Consider the choices.  Make your voice heard and let me know what you think.

[ Also see the results of the district 13 constituent survey at http://bit.ly/82yVXJ  and visit http://betterchoicesnewmexico.com/about  for more revenue raising options. ]

Musicians from Reginald Chavez Elementary and Washington Middle School

These students from Reginald Chavez Elementary School and Washington Middle School really put on a show. Enjoy!

 

Education Cuts and the Special Session: Implications for New Mexico's Children

Read what my guest blogger Representative Mimi Stewart has to say about the upcoming New Mexico legislative special session and the implications of education budget cuts for New Mexico's children. Mimi is an educator and represents New Mexico's 21st District. She has served in the legislature for 13 years is entering her 16^th year as a legislator in the New Mexico Legislature!
--- Dede

The special session is approaching and in almost every newspaper article, the question comes up, "Should we cut education?"   Those in favor, most of the Gang of 12, who are making decisions for the rest of us, answer,  "Yes, because the education portion of the budget is so large, it's only fair to cut education!"  

Of course, we've already cut education.   Last session, for the first time in my 15 years of serving in the Legislature, we cut the education budget significantly.  Not only did we cut funding per student by almost $60, affecting all aspects of all 89 school district budgets, but we did not fund health insurance increases and we required most employees to pay more for their own retirement out of their salary.  

We also used Federal stimulus money to plug a $167 million hole in our ability to fully fund the budget for education…..a temporary fix that will create more problems later.

So now we're in trouble. 

Education is now about 43% of the state budget, way down from 52% 10 years ago.   There are 330,000 students in the public schools, being taught by 21,000 teachers and almost as many support people, without which the schools could not operate. Think of any societal ills, and then ask how these problems might impact students and thus our public schools. Children of alcoholic parents have horrible home lives and terrible parenting.   Children of adults in the penal system often don't know where they will be sleeping that night or are being raised by someone else.   For those and so many other children, we need counselors, social workers, extended school year programs, and before & after school programs. 

A Public Vote on the Public Option at Sen. Bingaman's Town Hall - A Re-Post

Reposted  from Democracy for New Mexico with gracious permission from post author, Dr. Steven Kanig, who has lived in Albuquerque since 1976 and practiced nephrology for 25 years. He's currently an elected delegate of the New Mexico Medical Society to the American Medical Association and is helping New Mexico with a project to develop a statewide health information exchange.