SENATE BILL 88

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2016

INTRODUCED BY

Linda M. Lopez

AN ACT

RELATING TO CAREGIVERS; PROVIDING FOR THE CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES DEPARTMENT TO COLLABORATE WITH THE TAXATION AND REVENUE DEPARTMENT AND THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION FOR KINSHIP CAREGIVERS ON THE AVAILABILITY OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND TAX RELIEF; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

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

     SECTION 1. TEMPORARY PROVISION--KINSHIP CAREGIVERS--OUTREACH AND EDUCATION.--

          A. By September 1, 2016, the secretary of children, youth and families shall establish, in consultation with the human services department, the taxation and revenue department and the grandparents raising grandchildren organization, a one-year, statewide demonstration project of outreach and education on the availability to kinship caregivers of public assistance programs, including the temporary assistance for needy families program, medical assistance and child care assistance and tax relief. This outreach and education will be designed to target kinship caregivers and to train personnel of the children, youth and families department, the human services department and the taxation and revenue department about the rights of kinship caregivers and special circumstances relating to kinship care.

          B. The children, youth and families department shall collect data on the number of kinship caregivers served and department personnel it has trained. By November 1, 2017, the children, youth and families department shall report its findings and any recommendations for establishing a permanent kinship caregiver outreach and education program to the legislative health and human services committee. 

          C. As used in this section:

                (1) "kinship caregiver" means a means an adult who is a relative but not a parent of a child, with whom the child resides and who provides that child with the care, maintenance and supervision consistent with the duties and responsibilities of a parent of the child; and

                (2) "relative" means an individual related to a child as a spouse, parent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, first cousin or any person denoted by the prefix "grand" or "great", or the spouse or former spouse of the persons specified.

     SECTION 2. APPROPRIATION.--One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the children, youth and families department for expenditure in fiscal year 2017 to fund the administration, outreach and education of the statewide demonstration project for kinship caregivers established pursuant to Section 1 of this act. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2017 shall revert to the general fund.

- 3 -