Our New Mexico Small Business Council consists of small business owners from various industries across the state. Council members volunteer their time and entrepreneurial expertise at board meetings, public events and in the media to help Small Business Majority identify and address the biggest issues facing small businesses today.
The Paid Family & Medical Leave Act (PFMLA) would help establish the Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) Fund, a program that would be administered by the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS). The Fund would be a state-administered paid family and medical leave insurance program to cover leave compensation for a qualifying life event, paid for through modest employee and employer contributions. The program would make paid family and medical leave more affordable and accessible to small business owners and their employees.
After a quarter life crisis, former social worker Alanna Ferre took a course in makeup artistry–as suggested by her mother–and was surprised to not only find a thriving second career, but also a passionate community in her home state of New Mexico.
Today, Public Policy Director Awesta Sarkash, testified in favor of SB 11, which would establish a state-run paid family and medical leave program in New Mexico. The testimony was before the New Mexico House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
Ahead of a Senate floor vote, Public Policy Director Awesta Sarkash submitted a letter to New Mexico's state senate urging them to swiftly pass SB 11, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, which would establish a state-run paid family leave program.
Ahead of a hearing in the New Mexico Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee, Awesta Sarkash, Public Policy Director, submitted a letter of support for SB 11, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. The bill would create a state-run paid family and medical leave fund that employers and their employees can take advantage of during critical health-related moments.
Today, Public Policy Director and New Mexico Outreach Director submitted a letter to New Mexico's House Health & Human Services Committee in favor of HB 51, the Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) Act. This legislation would help address the high cost of prescription drugs, which have a great impact on small business owners who are struggling to offer healthcare benefits to their employees.
On November 11, Small Business Majority's Public Policy Director, Awesta Sarkash submitted a comment letter on the preliminary draft rules for New Mexico's Work and $ave Program to outline ways the program can better support small and underserved businesses.
During lockdown, New Mexico transplant Skylar Shafer found herself homesick for the flavors of her New England childhood. Looking to connect herself back to her roots and find a distraction from her emotionally intensive day job as a community support worker, she started Sky’s Sweets, a bakery that specializes in Jewish and Brazilian desserts. Skylar’s role as a small business has helped her feel connected to her New Mexico community while her baking connects her to the community she left behind on the East Coast.
In a letter to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, John Arensmeyer, Founder and CEO, urged support for the New Mexico Work and $ave legislative proposal sponsored by Senator Bill Tallman and Representative Linda Serrato. The legislation contains narrowly crafted, essential changes requiring a limited number of New Mexico employers to auto-enroll their workers—a requirement in every other state implementing these state-facilitated programs.
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