Thursday, October 2, 2025
The ongoing 2025 Special Legislative Session started on Wednesday and is expected to wrap up today. This Special Session was called by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to address sweeping federal funding cuts. The Governor and legislators are committed to finding ways to bridge widening funding gaps for programs serving our state’s most vulnerable populations. The New Mexicans at the center of the conversation are the ones most often on the edges of our economy – children, rural communities, people with disabilities, elders, immigrants, low-income individuals, and people experiencing behavioral health challenges.
Whether we are personally part of one of those groups, each of us has family members, friends, and neighbors who are impacted by the intersecting issues being debated this week in Santa Fe.
As I listen to the debate, I am struck by how hard our legislators are working right now, taking time away from work, family, and community obligations to shore up a safety net that has been left incomplete because of decisions made for New Mexicans by folks who do not necessarily understand our unique New Mexico communities. As the only all volunteer legislature in the U.S., NM legislators are doing this out of a deep commitment to providing care and support for communities with the fewest resources and the greatest needs. The Paid Family & Medical Leave Coalition is grateful to the legislature for their service to the people of our state.
From the substance of the bills to the willingness to come together to solve big problems, it is clear that the Special Session is deeply rooted in New Mexico values. In New Mexico, we value one another and commit to working together to improve the well-being of working families, children, elders, and others who are too often left behind by other state legislatures or Congressional delegations. The New Mexicans at the center of this discussion are not represented by high-power, well-paid lobbyists. The legislature is putting in this Herculean effort because they are driven to do right by their constituents and ensure that the people most impacted by federal cuts won’t be left behind.
While not on the agenda for the Special Session, the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) is similar in intent and its reflection of New Mexican values and priorities. When the legislature takes back up the PFMLA debate in the regular legislative session, we must stay rooted in the reasons why we show up ready to get to work on this complex policy solution. PFMLA is about supporting families. As New Mexicans, we know that no one should have to choose between their paycheck and their healthcare or caregiving needs. PFML is about creating space for people to address the many intersecting challenges that working families everywhere face every day.
By passing a robust, comprehensive PFMLA that provides up to 12 weeks of leave for workers welcoming a new child, managing a serious health condition, or caring for a family member with a serious health condition, New Mexico has the opportunity to create a generational change that reflects our values. The PFMLA bill that has been debated in the past includes provisions to allow tribal governments to participate, provides robust wage replacement for the lowest wage NM workers, and is fully funded by modest employee and employer contributions. PFMLA would create a self-sustaining system that is protected from the actions of those in Washington who prioritize the interests of corporations and the wealthy over the needs of New Mexico working families.
The PFML Coalition sincerely thanks the state legislature for continuing to come together to solve problems, and we look forward to rolling up our sleeves once again and continuing partnering in the development of a PFMLA bill that improves the lives of all New Mexico working families.
Tracy McDaniel, MPH
Policy Director
Southwest Women’s Law Center