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

SPONSOR Lopez

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/13/07

HB

SHORT TITLE EXPAND AT-HOME INFANT CARE PROGRAMS SB 668

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$360.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to: HB 232 “CYFD Child Care Programs" and SB92 “FAMILY, INFANT & TODDLER

PROGRAMS": Duplicates HB167 “EXPAND AT-HOME INFANT CARE"

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Senate Bill 668 appropriates three hundred sixty thousand dollars ($360,000) from the general

fund to Children, Youth and Families Department for the purpose of expanding at-home infant

care programs. Half the funding is to be used to expand existing programs and the other half to

establish and administer other pilot at-home infant care sites.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of three hundred sixty thousand dollars ($360,000) 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.

The base Children Youth and Families Department budget contains fifty five thousand dollars

($55,000) for at-home infant care.

Senate Bill 668 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The At Home Infant Child Care Program began in September of 2004 in Dona Ana County. The

pilot program there continues with a current year budget of $55,000 and serves 13 families.

Part of the requirements for families participating in the At Home Infant Child Care pilot

program is to attend and complete a parenting class sponsored by New Mexico State University

(NMSU) Families Strengthening Partnership. Initially this course was delivered by NMSU free

of charge due to a federal grant that NMSU had attained. More recently the federal funds

available to NMSU have expired, requiring NMSU to now charge for this course. Expenditures

for this course must be applied to the At Home Infant Child Care budget, which means additional

administrative dollars and less program service delivery dollars. Additionally, when first

implemented families participating in the At Home Infant Child Care pilot were required to

attend the 45-hour child car provider training course. Due to other program policy requirements,

the capacity availability of the 45-hour provider course was and CYFD was forced to adjust the

requirement that families complete this educational. This course continues to be offered to the At

Home Infant Care families as voluntary instead of mandatory. If and when families choose to

take advantage of this educational opportunity CYFD will be required to cover the cost of this

course as well, again, meaning additional dollars expended administratively and less dollars

available for service delivery. Because this course is not available in many geographic areas of

New Mexico, it may be difficult to expand the program intact to other areas of the state.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

None

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD states that if passed, the bill will have an administrative impact on children, youth and

families department that the bill does not address.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to: House Bill 232 “CYFD Child Care Programs" and SB0092 “FAMILY, INFANT &

TODDLER PROGRAMS". Duplicates HB167

Relates to an appropriation in the General Appropriation Act. The base FY08 Children Youth

and Families Department budget contains fifty five thousand dollars ($55,000) for at-home infant

care.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Status Quo.

DL/mt