The Latest on the Hunger Council Proposal

Ellen Buelow, Rep. Joanne Ferrary

On Thursday, Nov. 8, Ellen Buelow and Brenda Sinfield, members of the steering committee of the Interfaith Hunger Coalition testified before the interim Legislative Health and Human Services committee of the New Mexico State Legislature. Rep. Joanne Ferrary of Las Cruces also spoke before the committee at a meeting chaired by Rep. Debbie Armstrong. 

The purpose of the testimony was to outline the progress made since the presentation of House Memorial 90 in February 2018, which proposed to create a Hunger Council within the State Legislature to address hunger in New Mexico on a broad and long-term basis, bringing in all the different constituencies affected by hunger.

Here is a report prepared by Ellen Buelow.

Panel Discusses House Memorial 90 at End Hunger Summit

Do you question if there is a solution for the underlying causes of food insecurity? The New Mexico Health and Human Services Legislative Committee is taking on food insecurity when the New Mexico Legislature convenes in January 2019.

 Our Interfaith Hunger Coalition enlisted a bipartisan effort in January 2018 when Representative Sarah Maestas Barnes (R) and Representative Joanne Ferrary (D) drafted Memorial 90, the first step to form a hunger council in the Legislature. (Rep. Maestas Barnes spoke about the memorial at the Fifth Annual End Hunger Summit in Albuquerque in September 2018. Here is a video).

Following this was the planning meeting in June at Roadrunner Food Bank to prioritize next steps and form a steering committee. On November 8, Rep Joanne Ferrary, Brenda Sinfield and Ellen Buelow presented a report to the interim committee hearing in Santa Fe.

Working with Representative Joanne Ferrary (Doña Ana County) Brenda and Ellen along with Alissa Barnes (director for community initiatives for Road Runner Food Bank) drafted a one pager with these issues. Statistics are from Feeding America and The Hunger in America Study 2014.

Eliminate Childhood Hunger in New Mexico
*25-27% of NM children are food insecure

Support working families to have access to affordable and healthy foods
*53% of hungry households include at least one person who has worked in the past 12 months/89% have permanent housing such as a home or an apartment

Supply adequate food for New Mexico seniors
*21% of those fed at *RRFB are seniors and 16% are grandparents raising grandchildren

Then this action plan for the 2019 NM Legislature included:

• Oppose the food tax as the cost of food increases exponentially for families in lower income brackets and NM has the highest rates of hunger in the USA.
• Create a hunger council at the legislative level separately with key players and use this to support all policy and funding changes needed.
• Share a coordinator with the Senior AG program

Here is your call to action.
Keep your New Mexico representatives and senators accountable as the hunger council is formed within the legislature. Check on updates for legislation that ensures food security and call or email as a constituent. Attend hearings as committees meet. To see updates on legislation and members of committees, visit the New Mexico State Legislature website.

The House Health and Human Services Committee is especially important.  Also, keep an eye on these committees in the House: Agriculture and Water Resources, Taxation and Revenue, Labor and Economic Development and in the Senate: Finance 

*Note. As of Dec. 4, committee assignments for newly elected legislators have not been made public Here is the list of winners in the November 2018 election (those without an asterisk are the new members).