HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 36

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2006

INTRODUCED BY

Ben Lujan

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE AGING AND LONG-TERM SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO STUDY NEW MEXICO'S RESPONSE TO THE RESOLUTIONS OF THE 2005 WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON AGING AND DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND TO URGE CONGRESS TO SUPPORT REAUTHORIZATION OF THE FEDERAL OLDER AMERICANS ACT OF 1965.

     WHEREAS, President George W. Bush convened the 2005 white house conference on aging in December 2005; and

     WHEREAS, the conference delegates, including seventeen delegates from New Mexico, adopted fifty resolutions and developed strategies to implement the resolutions to be sent to the president and congress; and

     WHEREAS, the resolutions and strategies focused on issues of health, long-term living, lifespan planning, future workplace considerations, civic and social engagement, communities, technology and innovation in an emerging senior marketplace; and

     WHEREAS, the number one resolution adopted by the delegates was the reauthorization of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965; and

     WHEREAS, the population of New Mexicans over the age of sixty-five is growing and will almost double by the year 2025, and is projected to be fourth in the country in the percentage of population over age sixty-five at more than twenty-six percent; and

     WHEREAS, current aging and long-term services programs and related infrastructure and resources are inadequate to meet the projected needs of a growing aging population; and

     WHEREAS, the health, safety and welfare of seniors are critical to the overall health and economic well-being of the state; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico's rural and frontier geography, multicultural populations and the sovereign status of tribal entities require specific planning unique to the state; and

     WHEREAS, the aging and long-term services department is responsible for long-term care policy and programs serving seniors and adults with disabilities and is the single state agency responsible for carrying out the federal Older Americans Act of 1965 in New Mexico;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the aging and long-term services department be requested to convene a task force to study New Mexico's response to the resolutions of the 2005 white house conference on aging and develop recommendations for implementation; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force identify strategies and resources necessary to prepare New Mexico for the future aging disabled population; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include representation from the department of health, the human services department, the department of finance and administration, the department of transportation, the New Mexico mortgage finance authority, the governor's commission on disability, the developmental disabilities planning council, the Indian affairs department, the veterans' services department and others as may be appropriate; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its findings to the interim legislative health and human services committee during its November 2006 meeting; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to support adequate federal funding to meet the anticipated needs of the aging population in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico congressional delegation be requested to support reauthorization of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the aging and long-term services department, the department of health, the human services department, the department of finance and administration, the department of transportation, the New Mexico mortgage finance authority, the governor's commission on disability, the developmental disabilities planning council, the Indian affairs department, the veterans' services department and the members of the New Mexico congressional delegation.

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