HOUSE MEMORIAL 107

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2016

INTRODUCED BY

D. Wonda Johnson

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES DEPARTMENT TO INCORPORATE CERTAIN STAKEHOLDERS' COMMENTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ANNUAL FEDERAL CHILD CARE DEVELOPMENT FUND GRANT APPLICATIONS.

     WHEREAS, the federal government provides fifty-two million dollars ($52,000,000) of annual funding through block grants, which are matched with eight million dollars ($8,000,000) by the state, to subsidize child care services to eligible families; and

     WHEREAS, the amount of federal funds allocated to each state is based on the ratio of children under five years old in the state to the number of children under five years old in the country and includes consideration of the rate of children in poverty in the state; and

     WHEREAS, in New Mexico, forty-one percent of children under age six live below one hundred percent of the federal poverty level of twenty-three thousand eight hundred fifty dollars ($23,850) per family of four, and twenty-one percent of children under age six live below one hundred eighty-five percent of the federal poverty level, or forty-four thousand one hundred twenty-three dollars ($44,123); and

     WHEREAS, each state is required to apply for the federal block grant funding annually, report on how the previous year's allocation was spent and provide a three-year plan for spending the annual federal and state money; and

     WHEREAS, grant applicants are also required to seek public input of information to be provided in the application; and

     WHEREAS, the children, youth and families department has held one public hearing to gather input for the grant application; and

     WHEREAS, the children, youth and families department is in the process of developing New Mexico's grant application for the upcoming fiscal year; and

     WHEREAS, the current grant applications are due March 1, 2016;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the children, youth and families department be encouraged to incorporate the following comments of child care industry stakeholders into its three-year plan:

          A. that the three-year plan needs to include a strategy to enroll more of the thirty-five thousand eligible children who are not receiving assistance by allowing providers to enroll parents in child care assistance;

          B. that the plan needs to include the actual cost of providing services in the calculation of its reimbursement rate to providers to ensure that the reimbursement rate meets the actual cost of providing child care;

          C. that the plan needs to increase reimbursement rates to allow providers to pay a living wage; and

          D. that the application needs to have a concrete plan to implement the federal regulation of twelve-month contracts without children losing slots due to lack of funding, which would result in fewer children being served; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of children, youth and families.

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