SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 5

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2017

INTRODUCED BY

Gerald Ortiz y Pino

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER TO RECONVENE THE J. PAUL TAYLOR EARLY CHILDHOOD TASK FORCE TO CONTINUE THE TASK FORCE'S WORK IN IMPROVING COLLABORATION AMONG STAKEHOLDERS AND DEVELOPING FURTHER WAYS TO IDENTIFY AND ASSIST FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AT RISK.

     WHEREAS, in the 2013 first session of the fifty-first legislature, in the 2014 second session of the fifty-first legislature, in the 2015 first session of the fifty-second legislature and in the 2016 second session of the fifty-second legislature, House Memorial 75, Senate Memorial 5, Senate Memorial 69 and Senate Joint Memorial 1 were passed respectively, requesting the university of New Mexico health sciences center to convene the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force in honor of former legislator and tireless children's advocate J. Paul Taylor; and

     WHEREAS, since 2013, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force has built solidly on its yearly studies by expanding participation of stakeholders and experts; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force continues to work collaboratively with a broad-based coalition of state, managed care, medical, community and legislative stakeholders to identify funding opportunities and gaps and to develop a system to recognize and respond to risk factors in young children and their families; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force has worked to develop a system to identify unserved and underserved at-risk children and families, including research on evidence- based models from within and outside of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force has worked to identify how current service delivery systems could be used for the prevention of child abuse and neglect; and

     WHEREAS, the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force has presented its recommendations to interim legislative committees and to the legislature; and

     WHEREAS, the 2016 J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force recommended that the legislature and state agencies:

          A. increase early childhood program funding;

          B. expand screening to identify young children at risk;

          C. promote and expand postpartum visiting programs to assist families with newborns;

          D. increase access to early childhood mental health services;

          E. support and coordinate training for community health workers in assisting families with young children; and

          F. align existing information and referral systems in an online, shared, accessible, statewide, comprehensive, community-based resource directory to link families with young children to needed resources; and 

     WHEREAS, among the recommendations of the 2016 J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force was that the task force's work be continued for another year to allow it to work collaboratively for the successful implementation of its recommendations;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the members of the 2016 J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force be requested in 2017 to continue improving collaboration among stakeholders to support the implementation and sustainability of the task force's recommended early childhood behavioral health action plan and child abuse prevention plan; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that by December 1, 2017, the 2017 J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force report its latest recommendations to the legislative health and human services committee and the legislative finance committee; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the university of New Mexico health sciences center be requested to convene the J. Paul Taylor early childhood task force for 2017 and assist the task force as necessary to enable the task force to meet at least quarterly and to develop a legislative report; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the chair of the legislative health and human services committee, the chair of the legislative finance committee, the secretary of children, youth and families, the secretary of health, the secretary of human services and the chancellor for health sciences of the university of New Mexico.

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