SENATE BILL 227

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Gerald P. Ortiz y Pino

AN ACT

RELATING TO CHILDREN'S HEALTH; SPECIFYING THE FACTORS TO BE USED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN DEVISING A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FORMULA FOR THE FAMILY INFANT TODDLER PROGRAM.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. FAMILY INFANT TODDLER PROGRAM--FUNDING FORMULA.--

          A. The department of health shall devise a funding formula for the "family infant toddler program" to ensure the successful operation of the program and provide the mechanism whereby the department's annual budget request shall be made. The funding formula shall use an average annual census of the number of children served and a per child unit value that includes a numeric differential that reflects the unique costs of providing community-based, in-home services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays. The funding formula shall account for all other federal, local and private revenue used in the family infant toddler program when determining the amount of general funds needed to operate the program.

          B. To determine the amount of funding needed for the family infant toddler program, the department shall:

                (1) use the public education department's "pupil unit value" as a baseline cost per child served;

                (2) calculate the family infant toddler program cost differential, which shall be the numeric expression of a ratio of the unique costs of serving infants and toddlers to the pupil unit value;

                (3) compute the "family infant toddler unit value" by multiplying the pupil unit value and the family infant toddler program cost differential;

                (4) determine the annual child census of children served in the family infant toddler program by averaging the number of children enrolled for services on the sixtieth day of the current fiscal year with the number of children enrolled on the three hundredth day of the prior fiscal year;

                (5) compute the "total program costs" for the family infant toddler program by multiplying the family infant toddler unit value by the average child census; and

                (6) determine the amount of general funds needed by subtracting the amount of non-state revenue accessed by the family infant toddler program from the total program costs.

- 3 -