HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 36

46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2004

INTRODUCED BY

Rick Miera

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES DEPARTMENT TO APPOINT A PANEL TO STUDY THE FAMILIES IN NEED OF SERVICES ARTICLES OF THE NEW MEXICO CHILDREN'S CODE.

     WHEREAS, the families in need of services provisions of the Children's Code were enacted in 1993 as part of a major revision of the Children's Code to address prevention and early intervention strategies for children and families; and

     WHEREAS, those strategies were to reflect on truancy, running away and the inability of parents and children to share a residence; and

     WHEREAS, the provisions are based on the premise that early intervention can assist in preventing a breakdown of the family unit and help eliminate negative behavior or early withdrawal from school; and

     WHEREAS, it is widely believed by representatives of the children, youth and families department, the department of health and the public education department that these provisions have been ineffective due to lack of funding and executive responsibility and to the difficulty of putting the provisions into practice; and

     WHEREAS, when the families in need of services program was created, it was recognized that it would cost approximately six million five hundred thousand dollars ($6,500,000) to fully implement the array of prevention and early intervention services needed for at-risk children and their families through a community-based system; and

     WHEREAS, a panel of interested persons and affected agencies involved with the families in need of services program should be assembled by the children, youth and families department to review Chapter 32A, Articles 3A, 3B and 4 NMSA 1978 and determine the scope of the problems, including the type of prevention and early intervention services needed and the cost to appropriately fund those services;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the children, youth and families department be requested to appoint a panel of experts on the families in need of services program to review Chapter 32A, Articles 3A, 3B and 4 NMSA 1978 and to determine what programs currently exist, which agencies are responsible for which services, existing gaps in those services, additional preventive and early intervention services needed by communities and any other problems related to the families in need of services program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the children, youth and families department name representatives from the department of health, public education department and administrative office of the courts to participate in the effort as members of the panel; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that those agencies provide the statistics needed to accomplish the purposes of this memorial; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the children, youth and families department report its findings to the legislative education study committee, legislative finance committee and corrections oversight and justice committee no later than October 1, 2004; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that two copies of the report be filed with the legislative council service library; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of children, youth and families, secretary of health, secretary of public education, director of the administrative office of the courts and New Mexico legislative council.

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