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Wilson talks Education and Health Care at the State Capitol |
January 25, 2001 |
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Federal Lawmaker Calls for Repeal of Gross Receipts Tax on Medical ServicesSanta Fe, New Mexico — Congresswoman Heather Wilson spoke to state legislators today about two of her favorite topics: education and health care.
“What was good enough for us and our parents is not good enough for our children,” Wilson said of the challenges New Mexico faces in the coming years, both in education and in healthcare.
“There is no substitute for a great public school system. Like you, I want a great public school in every neighborhood for every child. We want safe, drug free schools. We want to hug them in the morning and be confident that they will bound off the bus safe and sound in the afternoon.”
Wilson touted a nearly 20% increase in federal spending on education this year — dollars that went mostly to low-income and special education students. Wilson also expressed her continuing goal to offer more federal help to train teachers. She will expand and reintroduce her “GI Bill for Teachers,” a program that offers scholarships to teaching students in exchange for a commitment to teach in a certain area for a fixed amount of time.
Wilson lent her support to new federal efforts to improve reading and make sure every child can read by the 3rd grade. “When I worked with you in state government on the problems of juvenile crime we learned together that one of the best predictor’s that a child will drop out of school is his 3rd grade reading score. And drop outs commit more crimes than kids in school,” Wilson said. “I tell kids that life is front-end loaded. It’s up to us to front-end load our public school system and get every child reading well by third grade.”
Read more about Heather`s visit to the New Mexico State Legislature:Associated Press: Wilson Urges End To Tax On Health Care
The Albuquerque Tribune: Wilson urges focus on education
Wilson emphasized her strong belief that New Mexicans, despite political differences, have a common heritage, a common government, and common dreams for our children.
“Our future is filled with challenges,” said the former state cabinet secretary. “And we face them together. It’s up to us to work side-by-side, at every level of government, to ensure we leave no child behind. From city councilors to state legislators to our 43rd President, I’m convinced we’ve entered an era of cooperation, with our eyes steadfastly on our common goals.”
The federal lawmaker thinks the New Mexico State Legislature can do much in the next 60 days to stem the hemorrhaging of doctors and other health care professionals to other states. New Mexico is one of only 2 states in the country that levies a gross receipts tax on health care services, a tax Wilson believes the legislature should do away with.
“The economic reality is that if you subsidize something, you get more of it,” Wilson told the legislators in the NM State Capitol today. “If you tax it, you get less of it. New Mexico levies heavy taxes on health care, and, it shouldn’t be a surprise that we get less of it. That’s something all of you can change in the coming days.”
Wilson also told the group that more can and should be done to train nurses in New Mexico. She emphasized that New Mexico is short of nursing professors, which in turn means it’s harder to train new nurses.
Wilson highlighted the progress made during the 106th Congress in health care issues, including increased reimbursement rates for Medicaid and Medicare Choice, as well as an extension of the federally-funded Children Health Insurance Program. In the coming months she plans to focus on adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare that is voluntary, available to all, and affordable.
“New Mexico has a bright future,” Wilson concluded. “Together, we will build it.”
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