IN SIERRA COUNTY

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Sierra County?
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

AIRPORTS

New Mexico’s 46 airports are key economic drivers for our state,”
~ Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)

T or C Municipal Airport 

​Will receive $495,500 to rehabilitate one runway, one taxiway, and a portion of the general aviation apron to maintain its structural integrity. See more here.

ROADS & BRIDGES

​
Truth or Consequences Multimodal Transportation Safety Project,
 
New Mexico has the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities in the nation. T or C’s attractions generate significant pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle traffic. The City of Truth or Consequences has identified pedestrian safety concerns downtown and in two corridors in the north end that have access to schools and hospital.
 
The Business Loop Reconstruction is designed to improve sight distances at turnouts and intersections, address speed issues, provide connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists and improve drainage including roundabouts at Smith Avenue, New School Road and NM 181. 
 
Work began in January 2023 and is expected to be completed by May 2024.

Other road projects in Sierra County funded through the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration:

• Exit 75 At Williamsburg Interchange Project
• Truth or Consequences Vision Zero Safety Action Plan

It really is our infrastructure moment for a generation. 
– Sen. Martin Heinrich

You can save $$ by electrifying at home thanks to the
​Inflation Reduction Act 
​Learn more here!  

MEDICARE RECIPIENTS BENEFIT

• Caps on out-of-pocket annual prescription costs,
• Expanded eligibility for premium subsidies,
• For the first time Medicare will be able to begin negotiating pricing for some drugs.
• A $35 monthly cap for insulin!

RURAL RESIDENTS BENEFIT

• An improved rural electrical grid, to make sure it remains strong and resilient for decades and to avoid the kind of blackouts we’ve seen in Texas.
• Climate-smart agricultural funding that supports farmers while reducing pollution and emissions.
• Support for rural electrical co-ops and renewable energy projects, USDA conservation programs, and debt relief for distressed farmers.
• New Mexico tribes will receive expanded broadband, guaranteed loans, money to mitigate drought, and funding for projects such as fish hatcheries

​Farmers can keep farming; ranchers can keep ranching.
New Mexico has over 23,800 family-owned farms and ranches, encompasses 49 million acres of farmland and is home to more than 1.4 million head of cattle. Agriculture is the third largest industry in our state, with a total economic impact of $40 billion, and yearly revenue of over 3 billion dollars. We are the leading producer of chile nationwide, often the largest producer of pecans in the U.S, and rank third for onion production, ninth for milk production, and sixteenth for cattle and calf production.
The Inflation Reduction Act is designed to keep producers producing on their land. It does so by providing:

• Assistance for distressed Farm Loan programs borrowers. The IRA provided $3.1 billion through USDA for relief to distressed borrowers. See more here. (Since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law by Biden in August 2022, USDA has provided approximately $1.15 billion in assistance to more than 20,000 distressed borrowers.)
• Assistance for underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. The IRA provides $2.2 billion in financial assistance for socially-disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, including veterans who experienced discrimination previously. See more here.
• $125 million for climate smart conservation activities. Learn more at farmers.gov and nrcs.usda.gov

BUSINESSES BENEFIT

• Tax credits for 159,000 small businesses in New Mexico to improve energy efficiency, install solar power and buy clean trucks and vans for commercial fleets
• Businesses can “stack” credits. For instance, on top of a 30% tax credit, a developer can earn more credits by paying the prevailing wage for labor, using apprenticeship labor, or using U.S.-made steel and aluminum.
• For every federal dollar ($2.3 billion available for NM), the public and private sector will spend $2-$3, making it a $10 billion deal.
• Between now and 2030, $15 billion will be invested in new and existing businesses that will generate and store clean power in New Mexico.
• 8,000 small businesses and self-employed adults in New Mexico now qualify for lower premiums through the Affordable Care Act.

 

ALL OF US BENEFIT

• Wildfire prevention and protection of water sources.
• A rebate program to help make our homes safer and greener with insulation and windows, solar panels, heat pumps, and by replacing old fossil-fuel appliances.
• Restoring fairness to our tax code: attending to the backlog of paperwork that’s allowed the ultra-rich to avoid paying what they owe. Plus a 15% corporate minimum tax rate that will allow us to plan for our country’s future and build an economy that works for all Americans.

The Inflation Reduction Act will provide a historic investment in a clean energy economy.
​–Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) 

You lived through the fastest recovery in three decades!
All because of the 
​​American Rescue Plan

THE ECONOMY RESCUED

The U.S. had the fastest recovery of any nation in the world.

• New Mexico’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in December 2022 from 8.2% in January 2021
• New Mexico added 70,000 jobs due to the American Rescue Plan
• New Mexicans applied for 51,000 new Small Business Applications, the highest 2-year total on record.
• Hispanic unemployment saw its fastest 1-year drop and reached its lowest annual rate ever in 2022 nationwide.
• Restaurants rescued. 602 New Mexico restaurants received vital relief through the American Rescue Plan’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund

FAMILIES & YOUNG PEOPLE RESCUED

• A child care program in Sierra County received money to help keep their doors open
• Working families got tax relief: 252,000 families with 420,000 children In New Mexico benefited from the ARP’s Child Tax Credit.
• 56,000 New Mexico students received 145,000 Internet-connected devices (including hotspots) to close the homework gap
• Emergency Rental Assistance was provided to thousands of hard-pressed renters in New Mexico
  • 73,000 payments to help families meet their ongoing rent and utility costs
  • 60,000 payments to help families address past due rent and utility bills
• 93,000 New Mexico college students received direct financial relief through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Program in 2021 to help them stay enrolled and cover their bills in 2021.

PEOPLE RESCUED

• An expanded Earned Income Tax Credit provided up to $1,500 of tax relief to an estimated 134,000 New Mexico workers without dependent children
• 41,000 more New Mexico homes and businesses will receive affordable, high-speed internet through the American Rescue Plan's Capital Project Fund
• Over 230 million Americans are fully vaccinated, up from 3.5 million when President Biden took office.
• 46,000 New Mexicans saved hundreds of dollars on their health premiums from the American Rescue Plan. With the Inflation Reduction Act's extension of these savings, 41,000 New Mexicans signed up for quality, affordable care in the 2023 ACA open enrollment period.

COUNTIES, CITIES AND TRIBES RESCUED

Direct pandemic recovery funds were provided to the county, cities, municipalities, and tribes to avoid cuts and to invest in public safety, housing and the workforce, e.g., 

• Sierra County, $2 million
• Truth or Consequences, $1 million
• Elephant Butte, $328,000
• Williamsburg, $100,000

SCHOOL DISTRICTS RESCUED

Truth or Consequences Municipal Schools, the school district for the entire county, received recovery funds for academic recovery, student mental health and to reopen schools safely.

More jobs have been created in one year than in our nation’s history.
​– Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-NM

​WANT MORE PROGRESS? VOTE!

Meet your representative
​Gabe Vasquez.
​Download and share the slide show below:

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