Saving

Our Next Generation (SONG) Act

Senator Tom Udall, NM

Purpose of legislation: To improve childhood outcomes in well-being and reduce childhood poverty by
strengthening children and families and fully funding effective laws that benefit child well-being.

Leadership The bill calls for several federal and national level efforts to stay focused on improving child well-
being, such as a Presidents Commission on Children (with business, public, private, nonprofit, and advocate
groups charged with identifying best practices, opportunities for federal coordination of child programs and
funding streams, and evaluation of wages of those who work with children), a 2016 Surgeon General Report
on Improving the Health of Children, a Decennial White House Conference on Children, and a federal budget
report to assess the impact of the federal budget on child well-being. The bill also calls for Governors Working
Groups on Children grants that provide innovative, independent, bipartisan, and sustainable leadership at the
state level for improving the health status of children.

Poverty The bill strengthens the social capital in communities by engaging academic and business leaders in
mentoring vulnerable families; full implementation of the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow bonding with
newborns and adopted children; establishing a minimum wage above poverty level; and permanent extension
and modifications to the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit.

Health The bill strengthens medical and family leave; the Childrens Health Insurance Program; expands the
Community Health Workers programs; increases access to dental, nursing and behavioral health services in
schools and underserved areas; streamlines enrollment into health and nutrition programs for eligible children
and families; and expands Chafee Medicaid to age 26 for youth who have aged out of foster care. It also allows
Medicaid coverage for behavioral health assessment and treatment for juveniles during intake and before
adjudication in the criminal justice system. And it reauthorizes mental health courts and drug courts.

Education The bill calls for demonstration grants to states to expand school calendars to enhance learning,
to school districts to support pregnant and parenting students to graduate from high school, and to encourage
business mentoring. It improves college affordability by strengthening existing student loan programs.

Groups Supporting
Results-Santa Fe
Parents Reaching Out
Families USA
Community Action Agency of Southern NM
YDI-Elev8
LANL Foundation
NM Public Health Association
FamilyCook
United Way-SF County/NM Early Childhood
NM Graduation Reality and Dual-Role Skills (NM
Development
GRADS)
CLN Kids
CHI St Josephs Children
NAPPR
New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops
The Food Depot
Southwest Womens Law Center
La Familia Medical Center
HELP-NM
NM Voices for Children

ENLACE Statewide Collaborative