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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Boitano
DATE TYPED 2/11/05
HB
SHORT TITLE TANF Funds for Family Formation Goals
SB 278
ANALYST Weber
APPROPRIATION
Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY05
FY06
FY05
FY06
NFI
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Human Services Department (HSD)
Children Youth and Families (CYFD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 278 allots no less than 10 percent of the annual federal TANF block grant for fulfill-
ing the family formation goals of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA).
Significant Issues
The federal TANF block grant for New Mexico is currently approximately $111 million. Ten
percent is near $11 million which is the minimum the bill allows for use to fulfill family formu-
lation goals as outlined in PRWORA. This is only one of the four goals of the TANF program
which include:
To provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own
homes or in the homes of relatives;
pg_0002
Senate Bill 278 -- Page 2
To end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job prepa-
ration, work and marriage;
To reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and
To encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
It appears the bill supports the last goal.
Human Services reports.
SB 278 conforms to one of the Congressional purposes for the TANF block grant (pro-
moting marriage in the interests of children, and responsible fatherhood and mother-
hood). However, in order to fund a family formation program for no less than 10% of the
entire TANF block would significantly cripple the State’s effort toward other TANF
goals of providing assistance to needy families and ending the dependence of needy par-
ents by promoting job preparation and work.
TANF efforts must be able to extend to all needy family types, including those who face
multiple barriers to success and who face time limits for receiving TANF cash assistance
benefits. The December 2004 statistics show that of the 17,955 TANF cases in New
Mexico, 15,838 are single parent cases, as compared to 2,117 two-parent cases.
MW/sb:rs