SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 18

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Linda M. Lopez

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE CHAIR OF THE CHILDREN'S CABINET TO CONVENE A "CHILDREN'S CODE REFORM TASK FORCE" TO REVIEW AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UPDATING THE CHILDREN'S CODE.

     WHEREAS, the Children's Code is a set of New Mexico statutes that govern many matters that are essential for the safety and well-being of New Mexico's children and families; and

     WHEREAS, the Children's Code includes matters relating to child development, adoptions, child abuse and neglect, guardianships, children's mental health, delinquency and state interventions into the lives of children and families; and

     WHEREAS, children's and family law and policy have been undergoing a transformation in recent years, with the development of a better understanding of child development, the need to acknowledge strength and cultural wealth in the diversity of New Mexico families, the effect of factors such as historical trauma, disability and racial and ethnic disparities in the lives of New Mexico families, the effect of early trauma and adverse experiences in the lives of young people and changes to federal law that shift the focus of policy from intervention in the lives of families after an adverse event has occurred, to a focus on the timely provision of preventive services for children and families at risk; and

     WHEREAS, the United States congress has recently enacted legislation that provides strong monetary incentives to states to update their laws and policies relating to children and families, establishing rapid deadlines for states to conform their laws in order to gain these federal incentives for change; and

     WHEREAS, experts and stakeholders in the realm of children's and family policy and law have been contemplating an overhaul of the Children's Code in order to update the Children's Code with respect to preventive services, delinquency, child abuse and neglect policies, family interventions, children's mental health and dually involved youth;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the chair of the children's cabinet be requested to convene a "Children's Code reform task force" made up of experts and stakeholders in children's and family law and policy to conduct an in-depth assessment of the Children's Code and make recommendations for changes to the Children's Code in order to improve the lives of New Mexico's children and families; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the chair of the children's cabinet be requested to invite representatives from the following bodies, agencies and organizations to join the Children's Code reform task force:

          A. the house of representatives;

          B. the senate;

          C. children's court judges;

          D. the children, youth and families department;

          E. the department of health;

          F. the human services department;

          G. the public education department;

          H. the workforce solutions department;

          I. the department of public safety;

          J. the corrections department;

          K. the economic development department;

          L. the administrative office of the courts;

          M. the children's court improvement commission;

          N. local law enforcement agencies;

          O. the legislative finance committee;

          P. the public defender department's juvenile division;

          Q. the New Mexico district attorneys' association;

          R. the governments of New Mexico Indian nations, tribes and pueblos;

          S. the New Mexico tribal-state judicial consortium;

          T. the substitute care advisory council;

          U. the New Mexico CASA network;

          V. the children's court mediation program;

          W. the university of New Mexico school of law's Corinne Wolfe center for child and family justice;

          X. the New Mexico tribal Indian children welfare consortium;

          Y. parents', children's and youth attorneys;

          Z. mental health service providers;

          AA. former foster youth;

          BB. system-involved parents;

          CC. New Mexico voices for children;

          DD. NMCAN;

          EE. New Mexico appleseed;

          FF. the university of New Mexico school of medicine's department of pediatrics;

          GG. representatives of the university of New Mexico school of medicine's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with experience working with children;

          HH. the university of New Mexico school of medicine's department of family and community medicine;

          II. a nonprofit legal firm representing foster children, grandparents and kin;

          JJ. a nonprofit organization serving families and children through counseling and social programs;

          KK. the national council of juvenile and family court judges; and

          LL. other children and family policy community advocacy and stakeholder groups; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Children's Code reform task force be requested to meet throughout the 2019 interim and, by November 1, 2019, report its findings and recommendations to the governor, the legislative finance committee and the legislative health and human services committee; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the president pro tempore of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chair of the children's cabinet, the chief justice of the New Mexico supreme court, the director of the legislative finance committee, the secretary of children, youth and families, the secretary of health, the secretary of human services, the secretary of corrections, the secretary of public safety, the secretary of workforce solutions, the secretary of economic development, the secretary of public education, the director of the administrative office of the courts, the chief public defender, the executive director of the New Mexico district attorneys' association, the executive director of the New Mexico CASA network, the director of the Corinne Wolfe center for child and family justice at the university of New Mexico school of law, the co-chairs of the children's court improvement commission, the executive director of NMCAN, the chair of the substitute care advisory council, the executive director of New Mexico voices for children, the executive director of New Mexico appleseed, the co-chairs of the New Mexico tribal-state judicial consortium and the liaison for the children's court mediation program.

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