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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

2/12/07

HB

SHORT TITLE UNM Corinne Wolfe Children’s Law Center

SB 745

ANALYST Leger

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$240.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates, HB 257

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)

New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 745 appropriates $240 thousand from the general fund to the board of regents of the

university of New Mexico for the purpose of expanding the Corinne Wolfe children’s law center.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $240 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

general fund.

Senate Bill 745 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Corinne Wolfe Children’s Law Center (CLC) is a center at the Institute of Public Law,

UNM School of Law, working to enhance the knowledge and skills of the many professionals

and volunteers who work in the child abuse and neglect and juvenile justice systems. It was

established in December 1997 by memorandum of understanding between the Administrative

Office of the Courts and the Institute, upon the recommendation of the New Mexico Supreme

Court Foster Care Task Force. Named in honor of the late Corinne Wolfe, a lifelong advocate for

New Mexico children and families. The CLC is overseen by a steering committee that includes

judges, attorneys, CYFD personnel, volunteer advocates, and AOC and Court Improvement

Project personnel.

The CLC was established to address the critical need for comprehensive, statewide training

opportunities for the many professionals and volunteers working in the child abuse and neglect

system. An extensive assessment and evaluation conducted by the Supreme Court Foster Care

Task Force found that these individuals had received minimal training, if any, in the complex

legal, medical and psychological issues of their cases. Few training opportunities existed and

what little was offered was fragmented and haphazard.

The proposal of $240,000 was submitted to the HED by the UNM Law School. The

Department’s funding recommendation for FY08 as a continuance of recurring funding of

$68,400, but not the expansion.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

The General Appropriation Act (HB 7/SB 2) appropriates $68,400 to the CLC – the same level

as in FY 2007.

HB 257 duplicates SB 745.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The AOC reports that, as of October 2006, the Children’s, Youth, and Families Depart (CYFD)

had taken custody of more than 2,400 children due to abuse and neglect, a 31% increase of

children in care since 2003. The New Mexico Child Abuse and Neglect Citizen Review Board

composed of interested citizens from across the state, listed increased funding for the Children’s

Law Center as one of its top priorities for the 2007 legislative session, focusing on the need for

better trained legal professionals and lay advocates. New Mexico’s children are the ultimate

beneficiaries of improving the quality of judges, attorneys, lay advocates, and others in the

system.

JL/nt