Results for America awards New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee a silver certification for evidence-based budgeting

Results for America presented a silver certification to the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee on behalf of the organization’s Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence. Sarah Niedler, state practice director at Results for America, introduced the national nonprofit’s work and handed the plaque to committee members.

David Medina, Results for America’s co‑founder and COO, told the committee New Mexico earned the recognition because the state has defined “evidence of effectiveness” in law, added an evidence field to statewide budget documents and produced post‑session evidence reviews. “Your state’s commitment, both the legislative and executive branch’s commitment to building and using evidence in budgeting is something that stood out to us,” Medina said, noting only a small number of states have taken the same steps.

Medina outlined the program’s broader goals: helping state governments identify what programs work, prioritize spending on those programs, and develop public evidence‑based spending goals. He said only Oregon and Tennessee among states currently publish public targets for evidence‑based spending, and offered Results for America’s assistance to help New Mexico develop additional evidence‑based spending goals.

Committee leadership and staff accepted the award and thanked Results for America. The presentation concluded with brief questions about how other states set multi‑year spending goals and how New Mexico’s law compares to the broader national standard. The session then turned to departmental budget hearings scheduled on the committee’s agenda.