0001| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 80 | 0002| 43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| MIMI STEWART | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL | 0011| REQUESTING THAT THE CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES DEPARTMENT | 0012| ASSEMBLE A PANEL OF EXPERTS TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT STUDY OF | 0013| THE FAMILIES IN NEED OF SERVICES PROGRAM CREATED BY ARTICLE 3A | 0014| OF THE CHILDREN'S CODE. | 0015| | 0016| WHEREAS, the families in need of services program was | 0017| statutorily created in 1993 to replace the children in need of | 0018| supervision program; and | 0019| WHEREAS, the thrust of the families in need of services | 0020| program is aimed at reducing juvenile crime through early | 0021| intervention, while the children in need of supervision program | 0022| did not come into contact with the child until a legal issue | 0023| arose and the child was in the juvenile justice system; and | 0024| WHEREAS, when the families in need of services program was | 0025| statutorily created in 1993, it was recognized that it would | 0001| cost approximately six million five hundred thousand dollars | 0002| ($6,500,000) to fully implement the array of preventive | 0003| services programs needed for at-risk children and their | 0004| families through a community-based system, but the program was | 0005| only provided an appropriation of four hundred thousand dollars | 0006| ($400,000) in that first year for several pilot programs and | 0007| has been greatly underfunded by the legislature every year | 0008| since that time; and | 0009| WHEREAS, the primary responsibility of the protective | 0010| services division of the children, youth and families | 0011| department is to intervene in serious child abuse and neglect | 0012| cases, but that division has attempted to fill the vacuum left | 0013| by the unfunded mandate that the families in need of services | 0014| program has become; and | 0015| WHEREAS, while the official purpose of the families in | 0016| need of services program created by Article 3A of the | 0017| Children's Code is to reduce juvenile crime through early | 0018| intervention with preventive services offered in the community, | 0019| the reality is that just the opposite is now occurring; and | 0020| WHEREAS, a study of the effectiveness of the program was | 0021| conducted by a private, nonpartisan research entity and the | 0022| report was finished in 1994, but was highly critical of the | 0023| families in need of services program, so the study was not | 0024| distributed; and | 0025| WHEREAS, because the study is not public knowledge, the | 0001| reasons for the underfunding of the families in need of | 0002| services program and the lack of or inefficiency of services | 0003| offered that stem from that underfunding is not well understood | 0004| by the agencies involved with that program; and | 0005| WHEREAS, a panel of persons and agencies involved with the | 0006| families in need of services program should be assembled by the | 0007| children, youth and families department to review Article 3A of | 0008| the Childen's Code and determine the scope of those problems, | 0009| including the type of preventive services still needed and the | 0010| cost to appropriately fund those services; | 0011| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE | 0012| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that a panel of experts on the families in | 0013| need of services program be assembled by the children, youth | 0014| and families department to review Article 3A of the Children's | 0015| Code and to determine what programs currently exist, which | 0016| agencies are responsible for which services, existing gaps in | 0017| those services, additional preventive and early intervention | 0018| services needed by communities and any other problems related | 0019| to the families in need of services program; and | 0020| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the children, youth and | 0021| families department and those experts report on their findings | 0022| to the legislative health and human services committee and the | 0023| courts, corrections and criminal justice committee no later | 0024| than October 1, 1997; and | 0025| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be | 0001| sent to the secretary of children, youth and families, the | 0002| secretary of health, the secretary of human services, the | 0003| superintendent of public instruction and the director of the | 0004| administrative office of the courts. | 0005|  | 0006| | 0007| FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE | 0008| FIRST SESSION, 1997 | 0009| | 0010| | 0011| March 18, 1997 | 0012| | 0013| Mr. President: | 0014| | 0015| Your PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, to whom has been | 0016| referred | 0017| | 0018| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 80, as amended | 0019| | 0020| has had it under consideration and reports same with | 0021| recommendation that it DO PASS. | 0022| | 0023| Respectfully submitted, | 0024| | 0025| | 0001| | 0002| | 0003| __________________________________ | 0004| Shannon Robinson, Chairman | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| Adopted_______________________ Not | 0009| Adopted_______________________ | 0010| (Chief Clerk) (Chief Clerk) | 0011| | 0012| | 0013| Date ________________________ | 0014| | 0015| | 0016| The roll call vote was 4 For 2 Against | 0017| Yes: 4 | 0018| No: Adair, Ingle | 0019| Excused: Boitano, Feldman, Vernon | 0020| Absent: None | 0021| | 0022| | 0023| | 0024| | 0025| HJ080PA1 |