Governor Lujan Grisham delivers fourth State of the State address

Layouts BreadCrumbs BreadCrumbs SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday delivered her fourth State of the State address, commencing the second session of the 55th Legislature. The text of the governor’s 2022 State of the State address as prepared is as follows: Good afternoon. Thank you Mr. Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Speaker, Madam Senate Pro Tem, distinguished senators and representatives, and my fellow New Mexicans, and Happy Birthday to my Mom: I am humbled, once again, to have the opportunity to address the state of our great state. I know there is a temptation to view today as the opening kickoff of a big game, or the launch of some great battle. Some will describe it that way. But I encourage you to do what you can to resist the perception of a “competition,” to avoid feeding a plotline that would pit one team against another. This isn’t the sports page. We’re all here to do the people’s business. It’s a sacred thing. And we’re all on the same team today – and in fact every day. At the outset of every legislative session I encourage my colleagues in this building to think about the people we are all here to serve. I think about their dreams, their hopes and fears; and I think about what service means, about what effective service can deliver for the workers and families all across New Mexico who are represented here in this building – the entrepreneurs and job-creators, the seniors and students, the New Mexicans of every background and belief system. No, we don’t agree on everything, and we don’t have to. But I believe that the values we share as New Mexicans still truly unite us: The desire to see our families grow and thrive, the willingness to work hard to enjoy what we earn, the optimism that tomorrow can and will be better than today, for ourselves and for our neighbors. In the last three years, this Legislature and this administration have gotten a lot done. We raised the minimum wage for the first time in a decade. We’ve guaranteed paid sick leave to every worker in the state. We made early education a key priority and have invested hundreds of millions into the future of our earliest learners. We invested in new economic sectors and we’ve sent thousands more New Mexicans of every age and background to college for free, no strings attached. And I could go on. I could talk for a long time about the good work of the last few years. But we need to talk, instead, about what people are really feeling. The needs of this moment remain great. The grief, the loss, the volatility brought on by this hideous pandemic has wreaked havoc on the lives of every family, every American, every human being around the planet. And add on top of that inflation, a supply chain crisis, gridlock in Washington: It’s all making it harder for everybody, and especially regular working people, to feel safe, to feel comfortable, to feel optimistic. And we all feel it. My family and I, my daughters, my fiancé, my grandkids – all of us, there are no exceptions. New Mexicans are calling out for safety and stability, for more and more equal opportunity, for an open and fair and free democracy that works and works for them. Over these next 30 days, we can and we will answer that call, together. Once again, this incredible state, our home, is on the precipice of momentous positive change. I said that three years ago when I first swore an oath to carry out the duties of this office to the best of my ability. It’s been true every day since then. If anything the opportunity has grown, has multiplied exponentially; the sun is rising on a pivotal day, and I believe everything and anything is possible. We have, right now, unimaginable financial resources at our disposal. I believe we can fulfill, once and for all, after a hundred-and-ten years of statehood, the destiny of New Mexico as a genuine homestead of the American Dream, a place where people can grow and thrive and live in peace and prosperity, where people have the resources they need to support themselves and their families. What we do here now, what we do in the coming weeks, will set the stage. Dating back decades, a timid mindset has afflicted people in this capitol building, a pessimism that can be self-fulfilling. Thinking small is a curse. Big and meaningful changes are possible, but the biggest change may be our attitude, our perspective. At a moment in time when we have the money to do it all, let’s not limit ourselves; let’s not be unnecessarily incremental. Can’t New Mexico be a state – can’t we be the state – where everything is possible? So, on that note, let’s give every single educator in this state a 7% raise this year, minimum. That would be the biggest pay bump in recent memory, and it would put us first in the region for average educator pay. They deserve it, and we can afford it, and it’s the right thing to do. Let’s also raise the starting salaries for every tier of educators, which means some teachers will see a 20% raise this year. And let me be clear: This kind of progress pays for itself. When we support educators, when we retain high-quality teachers and keep our schools brimming with talented professionals, our other strategic investments in New Mexico children and in public education are supported and sustained. Our graduation rates will continue to rise. Our literacy rates will continue to improve, especially with a targeted new phonics program that we have initiated and that the Legislature must continue to support. We get more kids into high-quality apprenticeship programs and institutions of higher learning that will help them build fulfilling careers and lives. It all starts with demonstrating support and respect for our educators; Day One, I said we would do that, and we’re getting it done. And we’re going to keep going: Let’s cut taxes for every single person in New Mexico. We haven’t cut the sales tax in this state in 40 years. It’s only gone up and up and up, for decades, burdening New Mexico households and making…