Keeping a state’s financial house in order should be a top priority for any state government. Governor Martinez inherited the largest structural deficit in state history, following years of over-spending and a national recession In her first year in office, the Governor worked with the Democratic legislature to eliminate that deficit without raising taxes, while still protecting classroom spending and basic health care for those most in need.
Since that point, New Mexico has enjoyed a budget surplus every year, and currently has a much stronger savings account than when the Governor took office. In fact, researchers at George Washington University rank New Mexico as 7th in the nation in budget health. By eliminating waste and restraining spending growth to reasonable levels, Governor Martinez has put New Mexico’s fiscal house back in order, while investing in job creation, education reform, and a strong safety net for the most vulnerable.
Fiscal Responsibility
- Closed largest structural budget deficit in state history without raising taxes.
- Sold the state’s luxury jet, along with other state planes.
- Led by example by eliminating personal chefs at the Governor’s residence, capping the salaries of cabinet secretaries, and reducing the number and salaries of employees in the Governor’s Office.
- Increased the state’s rainy day fund for emergencies, in order to ensure basic government services in the event of a sudden loss of revenue.
- Dramatically cut the number of political appointees in state government, which had ballooned during the Richardson Administration.
- Reined in salaries for political appointees — no Martinez cabinet secretary earns more than their predecessor.
- Consolidated office space and re-negotiated leases for state buildings, reducing the footprint of state government and saving taxpayers over a million dollars per year.
- Worked with the Legislature to resolve a $12 billion shortfall in the retirement plans of state workers and teachers.
A Strong Safety Net – Governor Martinez Is Committed To Providing A Strong Safety Net for the Less Fortunate, A Hand-Up For Those In Need
- Protected Medicaid for the most vulnerable.
- When the legislature failed to fully fund SNAP – food assistance for low-income seniors, the disabled, and needy families — Governor Martinez identified $150,000 to continue the program.
- Provided funding to save an initiative that assists low-income families with buying clothing for children returning to school.
- Extended child-care services for hundreds of low-income families, helping more single parents work to better provide for their families.