0001| SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 20
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0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003| INTRODUCED BY
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0004| CARLOS R. CISNEROS
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0008|
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0009|
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0010| A JOINT MEMORIAL
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0011| REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
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0012| TO STUDY THE RAPID RISE IN CHILD ABUSE AND THE RESOURCES
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0013| AVAILABLE TO RESPOND TO THE PROBLEM.
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0014|
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0015| WHEREAS, there has been a dramatic rise in child abuse
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0016| incidents, especially in rural areas, and law enforcement and
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0017| social service family support agencies are strained beyond
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0018| their capacity to respond adequately to the problem; and
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0019| WHEREAS, the number of American children seriously
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0020| injured by child abuse quadrupled between 1986 and 1993, from
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0021| one hundred forty-two thousand to five hundred sixty-five
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0022| thousand, but during the same time period child abuse
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0023| investigations plummeted from forty-four percent to twenty-
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0024| eight percent of reported cases; and
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0025| WHEREAS, in the year 1991 to 1992, for example, child
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0001| abuse cases in Taos county alone increased fifty percent, and
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0002| now the county averages 1.2 child abuse referrals per day; and
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0003| WHEREAS, less than fifty percent of referrals to the
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0004| district attorney will result in prosecutions, and less than
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0005| two percent actually go to trial; and
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0006| WHEREAS, an effective child abuse prevention program and
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0007| law enforcement effort to stop abusers and treat victims
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0008| requires more resources than are presently available to local
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0009| authorities in Taos and other rural counties;
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0010| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE
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0011| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative health and human
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0012| services committee be requested to assess community resources
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0013| available to address child abuse problems, including the
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0014| availability of child advocacy, education, prosecution, law
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0015| enforcement, medical care and direct family services; and
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0016| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative health and
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0017| human services committee report its findings and
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0018| recommendations to the legislature by December 1, 1998; and
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0019| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0020| transmitted to members of the legislative health and human
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0021| services committee.
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0022|
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