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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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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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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<center>- 1 -</center>

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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