Congratulations a todos on Congress passing health care reform!  What a great and massive effort y'all put forward over the last year!  Heck, for many of you, this has been a battle over the last 50 years, trying to move American health care into the top tier of the world.

For AFSCME members with children, you will never again have to worry about a kid just out of high school or college not getting covered just because he or she didn't get the right job (or in this economy, any job).  For all of us, we never again have to worry about whether to stay in a particular job or be afraid to start our own business because we can't get coverage.  For everyone currently with insurance, we never have to worry about insurance companies cutting off coverage or treatment because we're sick (isn't that the exact point of health care anyhow?)  We've finally started to bend the cost curve so health care won't eat up more and more of our pay. 

And this is all to say nothing of the tens of millions of Americans, and hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans, who will now be able to get health care after being denied because of pre-existing conditions or because of the outrageous prices charged by insurance companies.

You--the members of our union--carried this ball across the goal line.  Congratulations!  You were part of the single most important piece of domestic legislation to help ALL Americans since the 1960s.  This battle proves that no matter how high the odds, no matter how entrenched the greedy, heartless opposition, we, the workers of America and our families, can make New Mexico and America a better place for all of us.

With my deepest respect and admiration for all you and our union just did and continue doing for the people of this state and country, Carter