Joseph Romero is running to give HD-14 a representative who fights to make education affordable at every stage of a family’s life. Working parents, educators, and students are stretched thin, and Joseph’s plan puts money back in their pockets while strengthening the public schools our community depends on.
Raise the minimum wage to a true living wage. Joseph supports raising New Mexico’s minimum wage to a living wage and indexing it to inflation so it rises automatically with the cost of groceries, gas, and rent. No parent working full-time in HD-14 should have to pick up a second shift to keep their kids in school supplies, and no educational assistant or classified school worker should ever fall behind the cost of living again.
Secure Paid Family Medical Leave. Parents shouldn’t have to choose between a paycheck and caring for a sick child or an aging parent. Joseph will fight to secure Paid Family Medical Leave so HD-14 families can show up for the people they love without losing the income that keeps the lights on and the kids fed.
Increase the Child Tax Credit and expand eligibility. The cost of raising kids in New Mexico keeps climbing, and families are supporting their children well past high school. Joseph will fight to increase the Child Tax Credit and expand eligibility so more HD-14 parents get real relief at tax time, whether their kids are in kindergarten, high school, or heading off to CNM or UNM.
Expand the Working Families Tax Credit. Working parents earn their money, and they deserve to keep more of it. Joseph will push to grow New Mexico’s refundable Working Families Tax Credit and expand who qualifies, putting more dollars back into the pockets of low- and moderate-income families trying to cover childcare, school fees, and everything else that comes with raising a kid.
Reduce grocery costs for New Mexico families. A trip to the grocery store shouldn’t wipe out a paycheck. Joseph will work with the state Department of Agriculture to support local growers and grocers, and explore waiving permit fees for grocers opening in rural food deserts so every HD-14 family can afford to put healthy food on the table and in their kids’ lunchboxes.
Distribute Baby Bonds for every New Mexico newborn. Every child born in New Mexico deserves a head start. Joseph supports creating long-term Baby Bond savings accounts that a young New Mexican can later use to pay for college, start a small business, or put a down payment on a first home. It’s how we break the cycle of student debt before it starts.
Joseph Romero will show up, do the work, and deliver an education HD-14 families can afford