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

SPONSOR Picraux

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/18/08

HB 153

SHORT TITLE At-Home Infant Care Programs

SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$50.0

Recurring

General Fund

$35.0 Non-recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act: CYFD has $90 thousand in the base

budget request for the existing program.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 153 appropriates eighty-five thousand from the general fund to Children, Youth and

Families for the expansion of at-home infant care programs. The bill specifies fifty thousand of

the appropriation is for expenditure in fiscal year 2009 to expand at-home infant care programs

and thirty-five thousand is for expenditure in fiscal year 2009 and subsequent fiscal years to

continue a pilot at-home infant care program in Sandoval county.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

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

general fund. The bill specifies fifty thousand of the appropriation is for expenditure in fiscal

year 2009 and any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2009 shall

revert to the general fund. The bill also specifies that thirty-five thousand is for expenditure in

fiscal year 2009 and subsequent fiscal years and any unexpended or unencumbered balance

House Bill 153 – Page

2

remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall NOT revert to the general fund.

The base Children Youth and Families Department budget contains ninety thousand dollars for

at-home infant care.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

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

Program has been expanded to Sandoval County, where families are currently being enrolled.

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

gram 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 avail-

able 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, families

participating in the At-Home Infant Child Care program also have the option of taking the

CYFD-sponsored 45-Hour course in early childhood development. If and when families choose

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

course, further limiting funds 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 to all areas

of the state.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD's mission focuses on services which promote and build individual strengths, including

early identification and intervention services which address problems as they emerge. At-Home

Infant Child Care programs, teaching parenting skills and promoting healthy family

communication and infant-caregiver bonding, are consistent with that mission.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

If enacted, there are minor administrative costs to CYFD that are not considered in this

appropriation.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to an appropriation in the General Appropriation Act. The base FY09 Children Youth

and Families Department budget contains ninety thousand dollars for at-home infant care.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

None identified.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

None identified.

House Bill 153 – Page

3

ALTERNATIVES

None identified.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

CYFD will be unable to continue the pilot program in Sandoval County.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

None at this time.

DL/nt