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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR	Miera		DATE TYPED	02/08/04		HB	HJM 65
SHORT TITLE		Kids-New Mexico’s Number One Priority				SB
					ANALYST		Johnson

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY04	FY05	FY04	FY05
			See Narrative

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

No Response Received From

Office of the Lieutenant Governor

Children, Youth and Families Department

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Joint Memorial 65 requests that the legislature and the executive branches of government dedicate themselves to working together to make children New Mexico’s number one priority. The memorial cites teen pregnancy, child mortality, poverty and school dropouts as issues of concern.

Significant Issues

The executive has created the Children's Cabinet, headed by the Lieutenant Governor. This group is made up of every secretary and department head dealing with children and works to focus state resources on improving the lives of New Mexico's children by increasing interaction among state departments in an effort to streamline services and reduce bureaucratic red tape. The Children’s Cabinet will also track child well-being indicators such as teen birthrate, infant mortality rates, rates of crimes against children, dropout rates and immunization rates.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The memorial does not contain an appropriation.

CJJ/dm