HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 2

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024

INTRODUCED BY

Meredith A. Dixon and Michael Padilla and Tara Jaramillo

 

 

 

 

 

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH STUDY THE IMPACT OF MULTI-SYSTEM FAMILIES ON STATE AGENCY BUDGETS AND SOCIAL SERVICE OUTCOMES FOR THOSE INDIVIDUAL FAMILY MEMBERS AND FAMILIES.

 

     WHEREAS, multi-system families are those for whom at least two generations are engaged with two or more social service agencies; and

     WHEREAS, research from New Mexico appleseed estimates that sixteen thousand New Mexico families are multi-system families; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico spends a significant amount of state and federal funds each year on multi-system families addressing and responding to poverty, hunger, mental health, child welfare, criminal justice and other related social issues; and

     WHEREAS, these expenses account for nine hundred million dollars ($900,000,000) every year, amounting to approximately eighty percent of the costs attributable to twenty percent of the population; and

     WHEREAS, research has established that focusing evidence-based programs and funding multi-system families and their members is a cost-saving intervention that can end the cycle of poverty for those families; and

      WHEREAS, the family success lab at the department of health was established and is funded by the legislature to identify and study the characteristics of multi-system families and their members, but has yet to do this work; and

     WHEREAS, federal and state privacy laws permit multi- system family data to be shared for this purpose, and such data sharing agreements have already been executed at the state level;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of health be requested to use existing agency data to:

          A. link agency data to create an unduplicated count of individuals across agencies;

          B. link individual data to family member data for at least two generations of families in multiple social services systems; and

          C. estimate the costs of multi-system individuals and multi-system families annually to the agencies that have contributed data; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the health care authority department, the children, youth and families department, the corrections department, the public education department and other executive agencies be requested to share data with the department of health in order to facilitate this study; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health be requested to present the results of this research to the

legislature by November 15, 2024; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to all executive agency cabinet secretaries and to the office of the governor.

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