SENATE MEMORIAL 95

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2018

INTRODUCED BY

Gerald Ortiz y Pino

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO AND MEMBERS OF THE 2017 J. PAUL TAYLOR EARLY CHILDHOOD TASK FORCE AND REQUESTING THEM TO RECONVENE THE J. PAUL TAYLOR EARLY CHILDHOOD TASK FORCE IN 2018.

 

     WHEREAS, since 2013, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force, made up of experts in child well-being, early childhood development, health care, social work, education, government, public benefits, law and administration as well as other areas of expertise, has met at the legislature's request to analyze matters relating to children's well-being and make recommendations on improving children's well-being to the legislature and other policymakers; and

     WHEREAS, in recent years, the university of New Mexico has volunteered to convene and provide administrative support for the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force is named for former long-time member of the New Mexico house of representatives, J. Paul Taylor, of Mesilla, New Mexico, who has contributed greatly to the field of children's rights and well-being during his long and distinguished career in public service; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force has done much in recent years to educate the legislature and other policymakers on the importance of screening for adverse childhood events, which are factors in a child's life that may interfere with that child's life outcomes if they are not addressed; and

     WHEREAS, in 2017, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force made a recommendation that the human services department be requested to establish guidelines for medicaid managed care organizations to screen medicaid recipients using an improved health risk assessment that would include family questions for the survey of well-being of young children in order to identify adverse childhood events in the lives of young medicaid recipients and provide access to timely interventions; and

     WHEREAS, in response to its findings, that New Mexico's behavioral health system and other health care providers should be equipped to examine and respond to the effects of parental mental illness, substance use disorders and family violence on young children, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force also requested that the legislature create a working group to address infrastructure gaps for a two-generation behavioral health system; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force recommended that the term "child neglect" and its antonym, "adequate and appropriate parenting", have operationalized definitions so that those who are seeking to promote adequate and appropriate parenting may properly identify and address child neglect; and

     WHEREAS, during the 2017 interim, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force reported these recommendations to the legislative health and human services committee; and

     WHEREAS, members of the legislative health and human services committee recommended to the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force that it continue its work in investigating the effects of parental mental illness, substance use disorder and family violence on young children and its work in making recommendations for creating a two-generation behavioral health system;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the dedicated members of the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force and the university of New Mexico be recognized for their work on behalf of the youngest New Mexicans; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the university of New Mexico and the members of the 2017 J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force be requested to reconvene the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force in 2018 and continue its work in investigating the effects of parental mental illness, substance use disorders and family violence on young children and its work in making recommendations for creating a two-generation behavioral health system; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force be requested to continue its work in identifying ways in which screening for adverse childhood events can be promoted statewide so that children may be provided with timely interventions; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force be requested to continue its efforts to obtain operational definitions of "child neglect" as well as "adequate and appropriate parenting"; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force be requested to report its findings and recommendations to the legislative health and human services committee by November 1, 2018; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the president of the university of New Mexico, the 2017 chair of the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force and the chair and vice chair of the legislative health and human services committee.

- 5 -