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

SPONSOR Ezzell

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/18/08

HB 46

SHORT TITLE CYFD Autistic Children Assistance

SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$25.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to: HB 63 which appropriates $6,725,000 for services to persons with autism spectrum

disorders (ASD) to several state agencies.

Duplicates/Relates to Appropriation in General Appropriation Act:

CYFD's base budget request

includes $20.0 in recurring funds for this program.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Department of Health (CYFD)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 46 appropriates twenty-five thousand from the general fund to Children, Youth and

Families to contract with a community-based organization in Dexter to increase social

interactions for children and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to provide

training to staff and caregivers.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of twenty-five thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the

general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2009 shall

House Bill 46 – Page

2

revert to the general fund.

This appropriation is not part of the Executive recommendation.

CYFD's base budget request includes twenty thousand in recurring funds for this program and is

included in the HAFC approved budget for CYFD.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

In 2007 the Centers for Disease Control reportedly found that as many as 1 in 150 children in

America today have an ASD.

There are children and youth with autism spectrum disorders in Chavez Country (Southwest

Autism Network data).

Autism as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) at 34.CFR §

300.8(c)(1)(i) means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal

communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a

child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are

engagement in repetitive activities, and stereotyped movements, resistance to environment

change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

According to data obtained on

www.IDEAdata.org

the number of students identified as having

autism as defined above has been increasing steadily over the last three years. The chart below

highlights New Mexico’s data compared to the national average. The percentage reflects the

percent of students with autism as compared to all of the students with disabilities as defined by

the IDEA.

Percent of New Mexico preschool students aged

3 – 5 identified as having autism

National average of the percent of preschool

students aged 3 – 5 identified as having autism

2006 (0.14%)

2006 (0.29%)

2005 (0.12%)

2005 (0.25%)

2004 (0.09%)

2004 (0.22%)

Percent of New Mexico students aged 6 – 21

identified as having autism

National average of the percent of students aged

6 – 21 identified as having autism

2006 (0.13%)

2006 (0.34%)

2005 (0.11%)

2005 (0.29%)

2004 (0.09%)

2004 (0.25%)

The table below illustrates the latest number of students with autism reported by the school

districts to the PED as of the 40

th

day counting period for the 2007 – 2008 school years.

AUTISM

Ages 3-5 Ages 6-21

131

682

STARS Data Report January 17, 2008

House Bill 46 – Page

3

Although the average number of students in New Mexico with autism is below average, the

numbers of students is steadily increasing each year.

One out of every 150 American eight-year-olds has some form of autism, meaning that 560,000

children in the country have the disorder, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC).

In the 1990s, approximately 1-2 in 10,000 people nationwide were diagnosed

with autism. Today, the disorder affects as many as 1 in 150

.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD's mission focuses on delivering services to vulnerable children and families. This program

is consistent with that mission.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

This bill does not allocate administrative resources for development or oversight of the contract.

ValueOptions-New Mexico is responsible for oversight of the current contract funds.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to: HB 63 which appropriates $6,725,000 for services to persons with autism spectrum

disorders (ASD) to several state agencies.

Duplicates/Relates to Appropriation in General Appropriation Act:

CYFD's base budget request

includes $20.0 in recurring funds for this program.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The bill specifies the appropriation is intended to “contract with a community-based organization

in Dexter."

“Caregivers" is not defined.

The bill is unclear whether the services are restricted to CYFD clients or available to all ASD

clients.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

CYFD has previously contracted with other community-based organizations to provide equine

based therapy for children with autism. At this time, CYFD’s experience demonstrates that

expansion of equine-based and related therapies for this population requires a scientific

evaluation of the service and how it is best applied to meet the needs of this target population

The bill does not define an upper age limit for “young adults."

Safety issues may preclude the inclusion of young children in this program.

Rural children in New Mexico do not have easy access to services for ASD. Rural areas have

few professionals with the necessary training in autism services and little opportunity for training

opportunities to increase skills.

House Bill 46 – Page

4

The appropriation proposed in HB 46 is not a part of the recommendations made as result of

Senate Bill 197 passed in the 2007 legislative session which required the Human Services

Department (HSD) to appoint a comprehensive group to study Autism Spectrum Disorders

(ASD) services, the current systems that serve this population, and determine the most

appropriate funding mechanisms to address ASD.

Department of Health (DOH) suggests that the Dexter community-based contractor coordinate

services with other ASD services funded through DOH and HSD to prevent duplication or

fragmentation of efforts in the Dexter area and assure that training content is consistent. The

Department of Health currently provides services to children and adults with ASD, and both

DOH and HSD facilitated the SB197 study that made recommendations as a result of the study.

ALTERNATIVES

The bill could be amended to have the funding appropriated to DOH instead of CYFD. DOH

currently provides programming for autism.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Status quo.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

None at this time.

DL/nt