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

SPONSOR Garcia

DATE TYPED 3/7/2005 HB

SHORT TITLE Better Publicize Safe Haven for Infants Act

SB SJM 63

ANALYST Dunbar

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

Minimal Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

NM Public Education Department (NMPED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

SJM 63 requests that the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) and the Public Edu-

cation Department (PED) work together to improve the publicity about the Safe Haven Infants

Act and collaborate with the statewide associations of primary care physicians, hospitals, health

care clinics and family planning organizations to disseminate materials developed.

Significant Issues

•

The state’s Safe Haven for Infants Act (2001) allows a person to leave a child who is no

older than 90 days at a hospital without fear of prosecution on child abandonment charges.

•

The first “safe haven law” was passed in Texas in 1999 after a number of highly publicized

cases of parents abandoning infants. Nationwide publicity of these and similar events esca-

lated and policy-makers across the nation began to implement legislation similar to the law

enacted in Texas. Since that time, 40 other states have passed legislation intended to prevent

the abandonment of children by their parents (www.babysafela.org).

Senate Joint Memorial 63 Page 2

•

Publicizing the Safe Haven Act in Spanish and in English at hospitals, health care clinics

and family planning organizations could result in both the saving newborn lives and provide

critical newborn care to infants that are abandoned.

Child abandonment is a public health issue. The Department of Health (DOH) is not named as an

agency involved in the publicizing and disseminating of information related to the Safe Haven

Infant Act.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

If SJM 63 were passed and PED is identified as an agency to participate in this memorial, it is

estimated that it would take approximately 40 hrs of time for an Education Administrator @

$22.394 to assist in the memorial and publicizing the act for a total estimate of $1.2 thousand

dollars including benefits.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

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