Just for a couple minutes, please.

Oh, we can stand by.

>> You know, she's always, like.

>> Apparently, since.

>> She's become an elected official time, it doesn't matter.

Well, maybe that's okay.

She'll show up in a little bit, I'm sure.

That a small.

Oh, here she is.

Oh, sorry.

>> I'm late, Michelle, how can you accomplish anything when you're literally late to everything?

>> You know, it may surprise everybody, but Michelle was never late to a cabinet meeting.

I guess she really cared.

I guess you really cared about your job.

Well, I was terrified or terrified I would have fired her.

You know what, Gary?

I never had to fire anybody for being late because everybody understood.

They had to be.

>> On time and everybody was on time.

But you were draconian, man.

You were draconian.

Thank you.

Very high.

Thank you, thank you.

>> Not a compliment.

And thank you for that, Gary, I appreciate it.

I think it's gone on.

I hey, governor Anaya, let me put you on speaker.

Thank you.

Michelle.

>> Good luck with your last big speech today.

Make it count and try not to drink too much coffee.

>> Oh, Tony.

Too late for that.

>> 26 cups a day.

>> I tried to get to 30.

Whew.

It takes a lot to fuel the kind of energy that you all remember is required to do these jobs.

But right here, as you all know, at Tia Sofia's at this very table is where for decades, all the big decisions for New Mexico have been made, and it's been over the best waves in town.

It's where leaders from both parties have come together time and time again to set a vision for our great state.

>> Well, my last year in a special session, we restructured the workers compensation system and set a model for the entire country.

>> We overcame a massive budget deficit and we did it without raising taxes, and all the while dropping the unemployment rate by three percentage points.

>> We had a budget surplus every single year.

Really proud of the fact that we put the issues that should be on the front burner, on the front burner, regardless of the political consequences.

And my advice for you, Michelle, which is really kind of the funniest thing about this whole meeting, that you would take my advice but veto anything that simply adds time and money to the lives of New Mexicans and doesn't make a single difference in their lives.

And think about Michelle.

You you love the special session.

A veto can cause a special session.

Call your friends back in any time.

>> I do love a special session, it's true, but only if one of you, particularly you, lends me your infamous veto pen.

>> And Michelle, I will remind you that my cabinet chipped in for my veto pen.

So you haven't contributed to that, which I know you had to have contributed to it.

You are welcome to that.

Partial.

You are a partial owner.

>> All right.

Well.

>> I like that.

>> You got it.

I'm going to do it.

But sincerely.

Thank you, all of you, for your incredible public service and for sharing a bold vision for New Mexico, because it takes all of us to achieve that.

I know you're busy, and it means a lot to me that you are here, and I do want to also thank you for your incredible leadership and your collective public service.

>> Ditto, ditto.

Thank you.

We appreciate your invitation.

And thank you for the recognition of what past governors have done in the state of New Mexico.

>> Because, in fact, it takes all of us to do the work.

And I'm grateful.

And speaking of that.

Oh, God.

Oh, I am so I'm taking my coffee.

I will see you back at this table next week.

Same time.

Yes.

>> Let's take.

>> A little.

>> Chairman.

The founder.

>> The honorable.

>> Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

[APPLAUSE] .

>> Are Manny just told me I. Okay, sorry I'm late.

Who said that up there?

Oh, chairwoman, I'm waiting for the teleprompter.

I got no idea what's happening, and apparently, neither do you.

And while we're waiting, I think we've got some burritos and coffee.

These guys need constant.

I mean, if you're going to be a Tia Sophia's, you ought to get it to go.

Order.

All right, well, I'm going to get started, even though we're not ready.

Clearly, that was a very purposeful design because it's really you can sit.

I don't know, one of you guys knocked out the teleprompter, but as I was saying, that was a real purposeful design for some of you.

You've all with me been around where it's 7 a.m.

that's where you would find the late John Arthur Smith every morning before every legislative day, he would hash out those final pieces of a capital package or the budget.

And I will tell you, it's right there at that table where John Arthur Smith and me made sure that pensions would be fully funded in New Mexico and secure.

[APPLAUSE] And it's at that table where folks like my late father would spend time with the mayors and the county commissioners and the city councilors, talking about the city different and what path and vision it would need and how it would lead the state.

And in today's chaotic world, with an environment that is full of confusion and anger, I thought it might be important in this last state of the state address, to have an opportunity to remind folks that we have far more in common than we don't have in common, far more that we agree on than we disagree.

And in a state as small as this one, and as powerful and mighty to.

We have all been friends and colleagues of the very governors, their cabinets, their teams, all of us in one way or another.

So I ask you, have a little coffee, spend a little time, you guys over there, you guys over here.

And let's teach America because I think they need to learn it again.

That bipartisanship is not something to give up or to leave behind.

It's the New Mexico model.

And in fact, it's the New Mexico law.

And so while Sofia, as I was just hiding in someone's office and as we catch up with these poor teleprompters, I want to stop right here.

I also want to remind you that it's not just for politicians, these meetings, you know, this is where your grandmother will be sitting next to a rancher, be sitting next to a tourist, being sitting next to an artist, be sitting next to the state engineers.

These are the places where both memories are made and critical decisions and efforts are hashed out.

And I don't want us to forget that.

And I do want to say this, which is in the speech, you know, I worked for Gary Johnson, I worked for Bruce King, I worked for Governor Richardson.

And those were days when you could sit down together and there was no it's off again.

No.

Nope.

It's on again.

There was no, you know, indignation.

There was no name calling.

Certainly not a food fight.

And I don't know about you all, but I really miss that.

And I don't want to ever lose it right here.

[APPLAUSE] All of us, Republican and Democrat alike.

We love this state, and there isn't anyone in this room or watching who hasn't done their very best to move the state that we love forward together with all of you.

And then I've already done this.

All the finger pointing and the anger.

And let's not do that anymore.

Let's get to this part so you guys find it.

This is your welcome.

My last state of the state address.

[APPLAUSE] Oh, Mr.

Block, I saw that.

[APPLAUSE] The Republicans were asking for my speech, and I should have given block here one that said when to applause and when not to.

And we can tease each other, but as long as we do that in a way that's respectful and we can do that, in fact, we do it a lot.

And I look forward to seeing you in the hallway, sir, talking about things that we can make better.

So let's get started.

For real, Mr.

Lieutenant Governor, Mr.

speaker, Madam Pro tem, members of the legislature, members of the judiciary, tribal leaders, my fellow New Mexicans, and certainly not last or least my family, my daughter, my granddaughter, my husband, the first Manny and my wonderful brother.

It is so great to have you sit right there captive for another couple hours.

[APPLAUSE] Oh, it's not that long.

But before I actually actually actually get started, I want to remind you about one other amazing human being, Stella Gabaldon.

And I want her to stand.

[APPLAUSE] >> Stand up.

>> All right.

Stella has served six governors and is a treasured institution in the governor's office.

She's been working.

Are you ready for 40 years?

Straight, 40 zero, 40 years?

[APPLAUSE] She's the first to arrive in our office every morning, and she's the last to leave.

She does an incredible job, and all New Mexicans owe her a big debt of gratitude.

I know that I do.

[APPLAUSE] From here on out, she will be known as the official Colonel aide de camp of the roundhouse.

So let's give her one more round of applause.

Okay, now let's talk about all we've accomplished and what's left to do.

Over the last seven years, New Mexico has shown what's possible when we focus less on conflict and more on consequence.

We've taken real action and we've delivered real results, and we've done it by moving together, all of us all at once, on the biggest issues and opportunities facing our state.

Now, as I've said before, it wasn't by accident.

It's by design.

And when I first ran for this office, I called for a new approach to governing, one that embraced every opportunity, took on every challenge, and delivered for every New Mexican.

And at a time when leadership is too often seen as a series of trade offs, when people think you can only accomplish one priority by abandoning the rest, or strengthening one community by selling out another.

I believed then, and I still do today.

We can do it all.

I believed we could be the childcare state, the job state, the you can clap for that.

The energy state, the innovation state.

And so in my first inaugural address, just a mile down the road from where we are today, I made a promise.

I said that in my administration we would go big, really big together.

We went big.

We were bold and together.

This state has made history.

[APPLAUSE] The results we've delivered are turning heads across the country and indeed around the world.

But what we've built over the last seven years isn't just a list of accomplishments.

It's a blueprint.

It's a model for what leadership can look like here in New Mexico and across the nation.

And it's rooted in a belief we've proved true, that you don't solve big problems by narrowing your vision, but you expand it to meet them all.

Thank you.

And it's the story of the past seven years.

You know, it starts with the children who represent the future of our state.

[APPLAUSE] When I took office, two many families found childcare unaffordable, unavailable, or frankly, both.

Today, building on the hard work of legislative leaders like Speaker Javier Martinez and Senator Michael Padilla and so many others, we're ready to solve that problem once and for all.

With universal child care provided at no cost to every single family who needs it across the state, it doesn't.

Now, this should not come as a surprise because New Mexico, in fact, is the first state in America to make child care a right.

Not an aspiration, not a goal, a right, a right enshrined in our Constitution, permanent and protected, approved by this legislature and affirmed by the people of the great state of New Mexico.

We didn't just talk the talk.

We made that right a reality.

And with new and expanded child care centers, training and support for educators and staff and resources to meet families where they live, we've made New Mexico first in the nation for child care access, the best place in America to start a family and build a career, and the first state in the country to offer truly universal, free childcare.

[APPLAUSE] >> Thank you.

>> It's a big deal.

[APPLAUSE] Now that's infant and toddler programs.

It's before school drop offs and after school support from the day your child is born.

Until they are 12 years old, New Mexico has you covered.

No other state can say that.

Not one.

And before anyone asks, yes, that includes the terrible twos.

We've got you covered.

Even then.

You're welcome.

[APPLAUSE] I mean, that is a real thing.

But seriously, let's talk about the reality of child care for New Mexicans like Kenny and Crystal Martinez.

Kenny's a firefighter paramedic, and Crystal is a registered emergency room nurse, and they've had to rely on alternating overtime shifts to make ends meet.

They've got two young kids, but for years they didn't qualify for the assistance they needed by just a smidge because their income was just that, a poquito too high.

That meant one parent staying home while the other one was at work.

That meant, as I said, 12 hour shifts at work, followed by long stretches caring for the baby alone.

It was lonely, it was stressful, and it's just too hard.

And on November 1st, universal child care changed everything for them.

It meant Kenny and Crystal could do their essential work while both kids went to the same preschool.

It meant they could spend time together as a family.

It meant that they could use their resources not just to barely make ends meet, but to give their kids the opportunities they always dreamed about as parents.

Now there are thousands of stories just like it across New Mexico and indeed across America.

Kenny, with you, I don't even know where you are.

There you are.

Kenny, would you please stand?

And would you give him a round of applause for sharing this incredible story?

I mean, we got a family of two first responders, and if we don't have their back, what are we doing?

Angela Garcia grew up in the early childhood industry.

Her mother opened up an early childhood center 25 years ago, and Angela, based in Las Cruces, has been CEO for the last 15 years.

Today, she's got 33 employees and the wages of her education, care and administrative staff have increased 200% since 2019.

[APPLAUSE] These are our lowest paid earners.

You know, I think some people like bristle about that.

Well, 200% the lowest earners.

These are the folks that we want out of poverty, right.

And into the next generation of opportunity, with the enhanced rate in universal child care, which you all did.

She's given everyone on her staff a raise, helping great caregivers to keep doing what they love.

And now she's expanding her childcare centers.

She's serving an additional 80 infants and toddlers to meet the new demand for care.

[APPLAUSE] Angela, would you please stand?

[APPLAUSE] Give Angela a round of applause for serving New Mexico and our children.

Thank you both for being here.

So more kids in high quality care, more providers and child care centers across the state, training and support for child care workers and educators, a permanent fund and trust fund that guarantee their impact.

A constitutional amendment that etched our promise into law.

We're not just making progress.

We're building a system focused on child well-being.

We're changing lives.

A foundation for a financially secure future, a legacy that New Mexico families can count on.

And again, it's a blueprint that the rest of America can and should follow.

[APPLAUSE] You're doing it all, and that's why it works.

But it's also crucial that we see it through.

Since we announced universal child care in November 10th zero.

And let me just repeat that 10,000 additional kiddos are enrolled and being served.

[APPLAUSE] Two months.

And now we were able to do this because you leaned in and took a major step last year when you increased the annual distribution from the Early Childhood Trust Fund.

And now I'm asking you for $160 million recurring increase for universal child care to cement our legacy as a state of generational opportunity, instead of a state with generational poverty.

[APPLAUSE] And you know what else we know?

This front end approach works when we commit to it.

In 2024, a UCLA research team studied the health and development of 18,000 New Mexico children entering kindergarten.

They expected to see the weight of generations of challenges, and instead they found children who were more resilient and better prepared by far than they anticipated.

Because early childhood education, family support, early intervention, childcare were working together as one single system, that progress is beginning to carry forward, and our investment in childcare means our kids will be better prepared when they start school well, and in fact, I know that's Gradanski up there clapping.

According to UCLA, not Gradanski or the governor.

That study I just mentioned says that more than 70% of New Mexico kindergartners are now on track in physical health and well-being, language and cognitive development, communication skills, general knowledge, and more.

For the first time in history, New Mexico kids are ready to learn.

Are better prepared than ever to start school.

And if they do struggle, we have new programs in place to help.

And two years ago, under the leadership of Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart and the Senate Finance Committee, we funded bipartisan all at once, all together.

In fact, they announced it in the cabinet room.

They funded a new literacy institute and a comprehensive Science of Reading program.

These programs are in and outside of schools, including a six week intensive tutoring program to eliminate the summer slide last year, two years old.

Last year, it served 17,000 students and led to an 8% jump in literacy proficiency, leading in to the school year eight percentage points.

And with our Science of Reading program and our structured literacy agenda, we're using brain science and evidence based methods to shape how we teach.

We've moved from uneven practices to proven approaches because learning to read shouldn't be left to chance or zip code.

And it's working.

Reading outcomes are improving statewide, especially among Native American students.

[APPLAUSE] We have deserved our attention all along.

Three years ago, just over a third of our elementary and middle school students could read at grade level a third.

Today, we're at nearly half and climbing, and in 2024, nearly 80% of New Mexico high school students graduated on time.

It's the highest rate in 15 years.

[APPLAUSE] And this year, we're striving to do even better by graduating 2400 more students than last year, reaching the national 87% average graduation rate, which has never been achieved in New Mexico.

[APPLAUSE] And while it is a celebration of effort, collective effort, let me be clear education in New Mexico is not where it needs to be.

K through 12 needs more.

We lose too many students in middle school because they can't read fluently.

They struggle in math and they disengage long before anyone is stepping in in a meaningful way.

They've given up and that's why we're doubling down.

We should be tripling down.

I'm calling for clear and consistent literacy and math requirements mandates.

So every student graduates with the skills they need for lifelong success.

I'm calling for proven best practices in the classrooms, a ban on cell phones that distract from learning not just to plan about maybe ban cell phones and do it.

[APPLAUSE] Every school in America that is doing that is seeing safer, happier, better engaged kids.

And what else?

Huge improvements in their achievement gaps and outcomes.

We can do that too.

And we have to do this.

We need accountability that supports progress in our schools.

We have a lot of accountability measures, right?

Even here in the legislature, about what you do and how you do it and what I do, whether we do it right or wrong.

But you need it right inside the schools we row together.

That's how the education system gets to be number one in the country, and that is where we should all be headed in New Mexico.

Families deserve that attention from everyone in this legislature.

And lastly, we ought to have an Office of Special education so that families with students and special ed don't have to keep fighting the system.

[APPLAUSE] Now, maybe a little bit of good news, because it's only a 30 day session.

I haven't lost my enthusiasm for 180 day school years.

While about half the country does that, those outcomes are clearly better than the states that do not.

If we want kids to be safe and engaged and be good community members, we have to give them the time that they need to mature in the classroom with the people they trust.

They're educators.

Now.

We're following evidence based practices.

This is an issue that's got a lot of evidence behind it, but I think it's an issue that deserves more debate.

And I'm encouraging you to start that debate without a mandate to debate it in your 30 day session.

But I don't want you to lose that process of really leaning in again to all of it.

It is the New Mexico way.

Don't pick and choose like it's a bingo game.

Let's really focus on all the things that work everywhere in America and see whether they can work here and how we make them New Mexican, because that is who we are.

So that's not making you do it.

Not introducing a bill, but I think it's something that you've got the ability and power to continue to engage in.

And I encourage you to do that because the approach isn't just about troubleshooting around the edges.

It's about rebuilding our education system from top to bottom.

So you I think there was it was a clap over there somewhere.

I'll take it.

Oh, God.

It was Mike Coleman.

That's only because Mike Coleman wrote that it's about rebuilding our education system from top to bottom, so fewer kids fall behind, more stay engaged and more gain the skills they need.

Our students are exceptional.

They are.

They are all exceptional.

Every single one of them.

And we owe this to them.

So let's all do our part again and again, and let's make sure that every child gets the education they deserve.

Increasingly and with tremendous benefit to our state.

Because of this work, New Mexico's young people are choosing to stay and continue their education after graduating high school since 20.

Yep, I I'm loving you.

[APPLAUSE] Since 2021, college enrollment has grown by nearly 15%, making New Mexico one of only two states in the nation to see growth in higher education.

Since 2020.

[APPLAUSE] Don't tell Toney Anaya.

Last year alone, we sent more than 40,000 students to college and trade schools through Opportunity Scholarships.

>> All right.

>> Keep your hands up.

[APPLAUSE] We've jumped 20 spots in state higher education rankings in seven years.

From 40th in 2019 to 20th today.

[APPLAUSE] And I have more good news.

When these students graduate from college or earn their certificates from trade or technical schools, we've got the strongest economy in New Mexico's history waiting for them.

[APPLAUSE] Over the last seven years, we've added 150,000 jobs, including in rural communities.

[APPLAUSE] In the past year alone, Pacific Fusion announced a $1 billion investment in research and development facility at Mesa del Sol.

Zgs.

Yep, it's huge.

Energy announced a $1.2 billion partnership to develop advanced geothermal energy in our state and quantum projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars have set up shop, including $120 million in this administration defense partnership with the federal government.

Everyone is investing here.

[APPLAUSE] And these jobs and investments didn't just show up on their own.

We've built an economic foundation strong enough to compete nationally.

And then we went out and won the kind of investments other states only dream about.

And frankly, we used to be one of those states, and now we rank ninth in the nation for GDP growth.

Ninth.

[APPLAUSE] >> Third.

>> Third in the nation for business applications, and first in the nation for family income growth.

[APPLAUSE] >> Number one.

>> And here's another surprise.

Maybe it's not a one time thing.

We've been hitting similar marks year after year after year.

We've also seen one of the largest drops in unemployment in the country, even as right now the national average is rising.

We fully funded our pensions.

I mentioned that in 2019, making them solid for decades.

And in fact, New Mexico is one of the only states in the country where your pension is guaranteed.

That's us.

[APPLAUSE] We've transformed the State Investment Councils venture capital approach to more New Mexico companies, and we've done it to create an advanced technology ecosystem.

And I will tell you, it's one that's attracting future focused companies and jobs and investments that will pay off for generations.

And we're attracting them from all around the globe.

So much so that countries are now coming here asking how to create a New Mexico investment model of their very own, to build the kind of economic successes that we've built right here, ready for this construction, manufacturing, entrepreneurship is booming.

Our sovereign wealth fund is one of the largest in the country, and is projected to lead the country in the next decade.

And it's not so sexy unless you're a nerd like me.

We've earned a positive bond rating outlook from agencies that used to, frankly, just write us off.

And in fact.

[APPLAUSE] I saw the treasurer, she's whooping it up back there.

And in fact, just this month, Moody's upgraded our rating to AA1.

And here's here's what that means.

It means we'll have the best steak sauce in America.

Oh come on, that's funny.

That's really, really funny.

I wrote it myself.

In fact, I think it's hilarious, except that we probably already have the best steak sauce in America because it's got green chili in it.

>> All right.

>> No more kidding.

Here's what it really means.

It means the people who measure risk for a living see our state as one of the smartest bets in the country.

That's what it means.

And it means lower borrowing costs so we can build roads and schools and housing while saving taxpayers real money.

And it means more investor activity, bringing funding and jobs to our state.

It means that after years of being underestimated, New Mexico hasn't just arrived.

Ladies and gentlemen, we're leading the way.

The New Mexico way.

>> To.

>> Today.

We're one of the most financially sound states in America, with rock solid progress, built on legacy industries and new innovations.

New Mexico isn't just a backdrop anymore.

We're a destination with high paying jobs that are securing our place for the future.

>> All right, so.

>> Let's make it permanent.

I'm asking this legislature to approve 150 million in tax credits for next generation technologies like quantum computing and fusion, to help cement New Mexico's place as the home of America's most innovative industries.

All these.

>> Thank you.

[APPLAUSE] >> Now all these good jobs mean that we need to upgrade our infrastructure and bolster our housing supply.

>> We need more.

>> And that's why.

>> My budget.

>> Request also includes a $1.5 billion road bonding package.

100 we need it 110 million for housing and zoning reform to allow for durable, efficient housing production.

And while mortgage rates remain stubbornly high, I'm also calling for an interstate interest rate buy down program to make mortgage payments more manageable for New Mexico homeowners.

That's how we'll keep building a modern, thriving economy.

That's how we'll keep attracting the jobs of tomorrow, and that's how we'll create a sustainable future for our businesses, for our people, and for our state.

And at a moment when affordability is slipping out of reach for families across the country, when rent is rising, groceries cost more and paychecks are stretched thin.

New Mexico is one of the only states moving in the right direction.

[APPLAUSE] >> We are.

>> Consistently recognized as one of the most affordable states in America, because we've built a system that lowers everyday costs, keeps bills affordable, and expands critical services.

Over the past seven years, we've reduced the gross receipts tax for the first time in 40 years.

We expanded rebates for low income families.

We exempted Social Security and military retirement from income tax.

We created an expanded child tax credit, and we expanded the Working Families Tax credit.

Last year alone, our tax cuts saved New Mexicans nearly.

Anyone $1 billion.

>> It's a billion with a B.

>> You know, I don't know what they mean when they say Democrats don't reduce taxes a billion.

[APPLAUSE] New Mexico also ranks among the top dozen most affordable states for housing in the country, a critical advantage when working families in states like California, Colorado and Arizona are being priced out of homeownership entirely.

And don't forget that we have this free childcare, free school lunches, free college and affordable health care.

Families that are falling behind financially in other states can come to New Mexico and get ahead, which again, is the New Mexico way.

>> You.

[APPLAUSE] >> And while we're on the topic of jobs and more jobs, let's talk about climate policy.

It's not just an environmental policy.

It's a climate policy.

And it's a key part of our economic sustainability strategy.

As part of our record economic gains, we've produced clean energy jobs at a faster clip than any other state in America.

[APPLAUSE] >> We've doubled our.

>> Wind power capacity and now ranks sixth nationally in solar power capacity.

[APPLAUSE] And our Energy Transition Act brought in $10 billion with a B in private investment and set aggressive, clean energy goals that we are already on track to beat.

[APPLAUSE] We cut climate warming methane emissions in half compared to our neighboring states, and our rules then became the federal standard.

New Mexico led America followed.

Then, when the Trump administration rolled climate rules back, that happens.

We didn't waver.

We stuck to our principles and our strategy, and we increased energy production.

At the same time, New Mexico offers the kind of certainty, stability and constant innovation, and businesses responded by flocking to the state.

Our actions made clear that amid national chaos, New Mexico is a state with staying power.

>> We've proven.

>> That clean air, clean water and clean energy isn't just good for the planet.

It's good for workers, good for families, good for paychecks.

And now the rest of the country is rushing to catch up with us.

So let's keep it going.

This year, I'm asking the legislature to codify our climate action plan, which would cut climate pollution 45%.

>> By.

>> 2030 and get us to net zero emissions net zero by 2050.

[APPLAUSE] Put it in law, put it in law, put it in law, put it in law.

We can do it.

And I'm talking about reducing industry emissions, modernizing the grid and expanding incentives for energy efficient buildings.

I'm talking about supporting agricultural practices that make farming more sustainable and crops more resilient.

[APPLAUSE] I'm talking about forest management strategies that protect our natural resources and prevent devastating fires.

But here's the thing about building a clean energy future.

We must make sure that New Mexicans can afford it.

Now, we've seen I've seen firsthand what's happening in too many other states.

Utility rates skyrocketing while families really struggle to keep up as demand gets greater, more complicated, more businesses more risk, more impact.

And I think New Mexico can create the New Mexico model and do something about it on the front end.

That's why I'm calling for a blue ribbon commission to develop a strategy to leverage and utilize private and public investments in our utility and energy sector to grow the economy.

And probably the most important, protect consumers and businesses while meeting exploding energy demands with more clean power.

And know this this is the dominant energy state.

All that demand needs.

New Mexico.

New Mexico has enough energy to power the entire United States.

And it's not just oil and gas, it's wind, solar and geothermal.

And now fusion.

It's all of the above all of the time.

We could do it for all of America the right way.

So if we're going to do that, and I believe that we are do it with consumers in New Mexicans at the front end of this debate, not the back end.

So it's an all hands on deck comprehensive effort to lead the nation and the world to make our air cleaner, our water safer, and our energy costs affordable and our communities more resilient.

And to prove that bold leadership, which we do over and over again together, gets results.

Nowhere is the need for more bold, more and more decisive leadership than still public safety.

So I want to thank you, all of you for real progress here.

And I mean that.

I know that sometimes it doesn't feel like I mean it because it's frustrating when you can't keep every person in your entire state safe.

It's terrifying, in fact, that that's my job every single day when I go to bed, when I wake up, it's the first thing I think about is every new Mexican safe and will be safe.

Will they be safe all day long?

Right.

So we have to keep doing this work, in my opinion, until every New Mexican feels that way.

And we've made this progress, right?

We've invested in security and more police support.

We've increased penalties for serious offenses, including everything from shooting threats to fentanyl trafficking.

We've passed criminal competency reform to get dangerous people off the streets.

We've promoted and really invented, invested in mental health reforms and behavioral health.

And we've been blending evidence based public health strategies with tough spot on punishments for serious criminal offenders.

But it isn't enough because, as I said, until every New Mexican feels safe and frankly forget that standard until everyone is safe in their home, their workplace, their place of worship, movie theater, our schools, their playgrounds and parks, we're just not done.

And any serious approach to public safety starts here.

Dangerous, violent crimes and the persons who commit them must be held accountable without hesitation and without exception.

And I spent the last seven years pushing for more engagement on public safety.

And it's happening without us.

All across the state, communities are coming together and talking about a public safety agenda.

And frankly, I've asked for more backbone by all of us, not just legislators, every elected official, every community leader.

If anyone tells you we've done enough to rein in violent crime, ask them if they would say that to a family made smaller by violence.

Would they say it to the parents trying to protect their kids?

Would they say it to the children who've lost someone they love?

Because we refuse to keep dangerous criminals behind bars?

I don't think they would, and we shouldn't.

So here's what I think we can still do in this 30 day session.

We need to amend the juvenile code to to address growing teen violence in our state, and invest in the resources to make sure they don't reoffend.

[APPLAUSE] And we need to keep fighting the devastating scourge of gun violence with an assault.

Nobody needs a body shredding weapon for hunting or self-defense.

We also need tougher laws to punish felons in possession of firearms.

[APPLAUSE] And here's why.

Follow the evidence.

Gun violence is disproportionately perpetrated by repeat felon offenders, and we must right now hold them accountable.

And you know how we could do that?

In addition to increased penalties, why don't we have pretrial detention like the federal model that keeps suspects charged with violent crimes behind bars while they wait, trial, await trial, and protect our communities from violent predators who destroy lives, families and communities.

You know what?

Less folks who are out there, less recruitment of our young middle school boys and engaging them in criminal activity.

And it's not just boys.

Let me be clear.

It's boys now.

And girls, it's a real issue and an epidemic, and it requires us to lean in.

And I'm hoping that you will do that now on something I think you like better than public safety.

Let's talk about health care.

Because as with public safety, we've done so much.

But it's far from fixed right now.

We've been stepping up to make sure that New Mexicans have reliable health care at a time when the Trump administration is abandoning those, in my opinion, who need it most.

Now we're seeing this fight play out at the national level, arguments over who deserves care and what kind of care you deserve.

And here's my take health care should never depend on who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.

It is not a luxury.

>> Thank you.

>> And it should be a fundamental right right here in America.

And that's why we've spent the last seven years building a health care system that works for New Mexicans, expanding Medicaid to cover more people, protecting reproductive rights, lowering prescription drug costs, and making sure rural communities have access to care.

When Republicans in Congress and I love that, too, eliminated the Affordable Care Act subsidies, we raised the income caps in New Mexico, leading to record enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans, not Medicaid.

[APPLAUSE] Private market.

[APPLAUSE] We've also covered tens of thousands of additional New Mexicans through the Patient Affordability Fund.

We've invested more than, and thank you, $130 million in the rural health care delivery fund, because rural America and in rural New Mexico for far too long, the only option is to get in your car or truck and drive hours to see a doctor or health care practitioner.

Now, I got to say, it's not every day, although the last three presidents have taken my ideas and now this one has two.

And while I was twisting arms around the legislature in a bipartisan fashion for rural health care delivery, now it's the number one health care investment by the Trump administration.

So see, it is bipartisan.

[APPLAUSE] Now, I would have preferred that at all levels of government, including the federal, that they did it the New Mexico way, which is we don't abandon any system in order to build it.

We reframe it.

We make sure it's available for everyone.

Don't cut Medicaid and don't cut subsidies for everyday Americans who need that comprehensive support.

And they didn't take that part of my advice.

But there's still time and 300 plus days I can talk to them.

And I plan to and I will tell you when reproductive health care access and funding have been attacked for more than the last seven years by Republicans in Washington, we used our own money to ensure continuity of care, and we eliminated an outdated law criminalizing abortion in our state.

[APPLAUSE] And we did it because it's clear that women can't rely on the federal government to protect their reproductive health.

New Mexico is where they can rely on us to protect their reproductive health.

And we've done I think I mean, I know there's a million really good ideas that are bipartisan.

We've done a lot to protect health care coverage, and we need to do more to expand health care access.

And I hope that this is the session where that occurs.

So here we go.

One.

Let's build and endow a new UNM School of Medicine.

[APPLAUSE] We can double enrollment, produce more doctors and health care practitioners who can serve more New Mexicans across every corner of our great state.

Let's approve all the medical compacts, making it easier for out of state licensed providers to practice here.

[APPLAUSE] Thank you.

And you know, again, these are bipartisan ideas.

And it's going to take leadership there.

It's going to take leadership here.

It's going to take leadership up the middle.

But we can do it.

Let's eliminate the gross receipts tax on medical services to make health care more accessible and affordable.

And let's enact real, meaningful medical malpractice reform in a way.

[APPLAUSE] .

Right on.

And and this bears saying, again, I said it at the beginning.

We can do this in a way that protects patients, drives down insurance premiums for doctors, and keeps them right here in New Mexico.

We don't abandon one group to make a policy for another.

We embrace all of it, the New Mexico way, and we have the ability to do that in this 30 day session.

And.

[APPLAUSE] I want to thank Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth for recognizing the urgency of many of these issues, because they're urgent and that critical issues simply can't wait.

And although I'm going to take credit for the rocket docket, that was my idea.

But having an idea doesn't matter if you don't have incredible people who are willing to actually execute those ideas.

So, Mr.

Leader, I thank you for your efforts to lead to fast track the road bonding package, medical licensing compacts, and our call for a modernized civil commitment law with the goal of passing them through the Senate in the first week of the session.

[APPLAUSE] And I'm going to say once again, why the civil commitment bill is so important.

Earlier this year, my office got a letter from Elizabeth, whose 42 year old son is struggling with addiction and mental illness.

She worries every single day that he could critically injure himself or someone else.

He's living on the streets, sometimes beaten and bruised and in and out of jail and hospitals.

She fears any day could be his last and just as heartbreaking.

He could hurt or kill somebody else.

Now, this heartbreaking story of Elizabeth and her son is not the only one.

It's far too common.

And in fact, we've heard thousands of these kinds of stories during my time in office, and hundreds of new ones come in every month.

It's an overwhelming problem that families deserve answers to, and it's the result, in my opinion, and not just mine.

Many evidence based practitioners that it's a result of a system that confuses compassion with neglect.

When someone is a danger to themselves or others because of serious mental illness, addiction, or far too often, both, we need the legal tools to keep communities safe and to get New Mexicans the help they need and quite frankly, the respect they have always deserved.

They don't get respect on the streets.

They deserve more from New Mexico, and I hope that we're going to do it.

[APPLAUSE] So let's take action instead of just watching and waiting for tragedy to strike.

I know it's an effort that requires courage and real hard work, and I am not minimizing that.

That is not an effort to lobby this side versus that side.

These are issues that are hard.

But that's why we're policy makers, because we were willing to do the work to tackle the hard problems and find the solutions that work the best.

So now is the time to muster that courage and meet the moment.

And your favorite.

Oh, clapping again.

But before your favorite words, I close.

Oh come on, you guys are so.

I mean, I really leaned into some funny lines here and I started to hurt my feelings a little.

All right, before I close, because Stella's already texted me saying I need to get back to work, I thought it might be fun to include a top ten list of New Mexico achievements.

Kind of like the Letterman list, but better because it's New Mexican.

So here we go.

Number one in family income growth.

[APPLAUSE] Number two in solar energy potential.

>> That's good.

>> It's really hard to find a way to go.

An order number six in job growth.

[APPLAUSE] Number one in Frito pie consumption per capita.

And wait wait for it.

And slices of baloney consumed by the New Mexico Legislature.

[APPLAUSE] Fact well known fact number one in lowriders.

I don't think that's per capita.

I think we're number one in lowriders in the world.

I'm going to have to check that out.

[APPLAUSE] Number nine in GDP growth.

>> That's huge.

[APPLAUSE] >> Look it up.

Number one, in sunsets that don't need a filter.

[APPLAUSE] Number one in Zia tattoos.

[APPLAUSE] I know you guys all have them.

I know you do.

And number one another number one shortest governor in the history of America.

[APPLAUSE] And some of you might say, and there was a real debate in my office, maybe the meanest.

[APPLAUSE] It depends.

It depends.

So I really am ending.

I heard someone up there say totally the meanest.

It was the secretary of Education.

[APPLAUSE] I did that for a reason, like the front end with Tia's.

And I'm ad libbing here your favorite.

So I'll try to make it quick.

As a lifelong New Mexican from a family, from generations of families that I don't care how tough it was, there was no place better or bigger in the context of who we are.

No one ever prouder ever than being just a Mexican.

I mean, it was always just enough.

We are enough.

We're amazing.

But with social media and the way in which I think far, too, far too many of us still operate, we operate with this mentality that sometimes we're not really good enough.

We're 50th, and we are 50th in some really important measures.

Generational poverty is no joke, and it is a really hard thing to move the needle, but move the needle.

We are and we should, but we should forge a new path that's going to take all of you.

This is a state that ought to get every tidbit of the successes that each of you deliver every single day, and we should just strike from its existence.

This notion that New Mexico is not big enough, not bold enough, not good enough, not number one, because it's not true.

And every time I see it anywhere on a billboard or social media or on someone's backpack, I bristle because a it's not true.

And two it is a calling card for remembering that we're as good as we feel.

And if we repeat those things, it's not to say that you shouldn't look truth in the eye, but when we repeat that we're not good and big enough like everybody else, that's the truth.

That holds not the top ten list that I just gave you.

And there are hundreds of stats in hundreds of meaningful ways that show that New Mexico is leading in so many ways and so many places.

And I want you to say that out loud every single day, because that's how we change a generation in New Mexico.

And we get back to the days of your parents and mine, where they're being proud of the state, was the thing they started with every morning when they woke up.

All right.

And let me give you the last one.

You know how we do that.

We are number one in America for child poverty reduction.

>> Number one.

[APPLAUSE] All right.

>> So I said it.

We're a small state, but we don't have to be big to take on big challenges.

We can and should go big, really big together.

And I know that I've asked you to do some really hard things over the past seven years, and I know that I still surprise you in a state of the state by adding things that no one's ever heard of, and that I want to really press hard and challenge you again today.

But as I really do, I promise I close.

I want you to do something else, and I think that's something else is easy.

I want you to talk to each other.

I want you to spend more time together.

I want you to go to Tia Sofia's and Tomasita and the pantry and the shed.

And I do want you to work and market steer and Palace Prime and the pink Adobe Plaza cafe.

Anywhere.

Go get a Frito pie from the five and dime.

They're.

They're the best.

[APPLAUSE] All right.

Communicate.

Listen.

Disagree.

That's fine.

That's healthy.

Keep trying.

Because that has always been the New Mexico way.

And the rest of the country has lost their way.

And if we commit to doing that, and far too often I used to find 1 or 25 of you at the bullring, and now I don't.

Or for a breakfast or in groups that are bipartisan.

And I will tell you the most meaningful work I've ever gotten to do has been bipartisan, working with this entire body, not just a chamber, for almost 40 years in my career.

And I will do everything it takes.

To make sure that that's the legacy.

It's not what a governor does.

It's what we do together for the people who are depending on us to make sure that this continues to be the best place in America.

And it is.

>> All right.

>> So it's not a victory lap and we're not slowing down.

We're just going to push forward.

And with one year left you're welcome.

I'm going to do a lot of work.

And we got a lot more progress to make.

So let's double down and let's do it all.

And thank you for an honor of a lifetime.

God, I didn't think I liked.

>> You that much.

God bless you and God bless the state that I love.

[APPLAUSE] .

>> All right, let's go to work.

[APPLAUSE] Okay.

>> Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

>> The honorable governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Thank