STUDY PARENTING STUDENTS IN NM HIGHER ED

HM033

HOUSE MEMORIAL 33

57
th legislature
- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
second session
, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Linda Serrato

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A TASK
FORCE TO STUDY, DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AND DRAFT
LEGISLATION FOR COLLECTING DATA ON PARENTING STUDENTS IN THE
NEW MEXICO HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM.

WHEREAS, in 2023, New Mexico had the third highest poverty
rate in the nation, and an estimated forty-six percent of
households were below the asset limited, income constrained,
employed threshold; and

WHEREAS, New Mexico's labor force participation rate is
lower than the United States average; and

WHEREAS, labor force participation rates increase as
educational attainment increases; and

WHEREAS, in 2024, one in three New Mexico college students
were parents or were expecting to be parents according to a
survey conducted by Santa Fe community college's early
childhood center of excellence; and

WHEREAS, in 2023, New Mexico's child poverty rate was
nearly twenty-three percent; and

WHEREAS, on average, the children of mothers who complete
a degree are more likely to graduate high school and get a
college degree themselves; and

WHEREAS, the opportunity scholarship and government
results and opportunity program fund funding have opened new
pathways to educational attainment for adult learners in New
Mexico; and

WHEREAS, through the programs, the New Mexico legislature
has demonstrated a commitment to providing necessary supports
and resources for adult learners to succeed; and

WHEREAS, even with these measures, parenting students have
unique barriers to college completion and struggle to find
resources to overcome those barriers; and

WHEREAS, there are currently no standardized methods of
identifying parenting students and their barriers to success or
developing targeted strategies for improving their educational
outcomes in New Mexico higher education institutions;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the higher
education department be requested to convene a task force to
study, develop recommendations for and draft legislation for
collecting data on parenting students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include the
following members:

A. staff from at least two four-year public higher
education institutions, including institutional research and
student services staff;

B. staff from at least two two-year community
colleges, including institutional research and student services
staff;

C. staff from a tribal college or university;

D. parenting students from at least two public
colleges or universities;

E. a member of the children's cabinet;

F. a representative from the data advisory group of
the higher education department; and

G. a representative from the New Mexico student
parent alliance; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force prepare a
report containing a definition of "parenting student", meaning
a student who is the parent or legal guardian of a dependent
child or children, including biological, step, foster, adopted
or other children for whom the student has primary caregiving
responsibilities, that can be used by higher education
institutions in the state; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report contain an
assessment of the current status of parenting student data
collection and recommendations for implementing statewide data
collection for higher education institutions, including
suggested consistent question phrasing and modes of data
collection that routinely assess parenting status over the
length of students' enrollment, such as collecting parenting
status data each academic term as part of the higher education
department's end of semester and degree reporting submissions,
or through other regular data-collection mechanisms that allow
higher education institutions to assess parenting status
throughout the span of students' enrollment; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force present its
report and recommendations to the legislative health and human
services committee and other appropriate legislative interim
committees by November 1, 2026; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
transmitted to the governor and the secretary of higher
education.

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