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

SPONSOR Youngberg

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/28/07

HB 202

SHORT TITLE CYFD Adoption Photo Gallery

SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$260.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 202 appropriates two hundred sixty thousand dollars ($260,000) from the general

fund to Children, Youth and Families Department for expenditure in FY08 for the heart gallery

programs and outreach for children in foster care who are available for adoption.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of two hundred sixty thousand dollars ($260,000) contained in this bill is a

recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at

the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

This appropriation is not part of the Children, Youth and Families Department’s request and is

not included in the Executive recommendation of Children, Youth and Families Department.

House Bill 202 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Reduced federal funding has left CYFD without many resources for outreach. Outreach such as

the Heart Gallery is important to getting children in adoptive homes.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

HB 202 would positively impact the performance measures of: “Percent of children adopted

within twenty-four months from entry into foster care".

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

If passed, the bill will have a slight administrative impact on children, youth and families

department that the bill does not address.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

None identified.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

CYFD has been recognized nationally as the pioneer of the Heart Gallery.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

From the New Mexico Heart Gallery web page:

http://www.heartgallerynm.org/about.php

The History of the Heart Gallery of New Mexico

On March 29, 2001, at the suggestion of Santa Fe photographer and adoptive mother

Cathy Maier Callanan, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department

(CYFD) brought the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words" to life at the

nation’s first Heart Gallery exhibit. The reception at Santa Fe’s Gerald Peters Gallery

drew a crowd of people inspired by stirring portraits of children in CYFD custody who

were dreaming of finding their "forever families." The portraits were created and

donated by some of the region’s most talented photographers.

Since then, the annual Heart Gallery of New Mexico has found homes for many

children who were considered "hard to place" due to their age or the fact that they were

members of a sibling group. One of the happiest endings came in June 2005, when a

very special portrait inspired one couple to adopt five teenaged siblings. Two

photographers even "clicked with" and adopted their charming subjects.

Thanks to media coverage and technical support from CYFD, the Heart Gallery spread

to several other states. In January 2005, a Parade article about the project by Santa Fe

reporter Rosemary Zibart touched the hearts of millions of readers, resulting in a virtual

explosion of Heart Gallery groups across America, where 118,000 foster children are

waiting to be adopted. Later coverage included People, the Today Show, CNN,

House Bill 202 – Page

3

MSNBC, USA Weekend, the New York Times, ABC World News Tonight and 20/20.

Currently 42 states have held or are planning Heart Gallery openings, and the number

of Heart Gallery-inspired placements in the end should number in the thousands. CYFD

continues to be the conduit for the positive energy of these dedicated planners. The

federal Children’s Bureau’s adoption initiative "The Collaboration to Adopt US Kids,"

has been a strong supporter of the project, and has named the Heart Gallery a "best

practice." On November 1, 2005, they hosted the first National Heart Gallery exhibit at

Union Station in Washington, D.C. CYFD is playing an integral role in this milestone

event. Please visit adoptuskids.org for more information on The Heart Gallery as a

national movement.

ALTERNATIVES

None identified.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Status Quo

DL/nt