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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Barela
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/29/08
2/2/08 HB 331/aHEC
SHORT TITLE Valencia County Teen Pregnancy Outreach
SB
ANALYST Lucero
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$25.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates to: HB 475 “Valencia County Teen Pregnancy Outreach", HB 76 “Otero County Teen
Pregnancy", and SB 185 “Statewide Teen Pregnancy Prevention".
Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)
Public Education Department (PED)
Department of Health (DOH)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of HEC Amendment
House Education Committee amendment to HB 331 strikes the words on page 1, line 18
“children, youth and families department" and inserts in lieu thereof “department of health".
The bill as amended resolves the issue of the appropriating teen pregnancy funds to an agency
other than that which acts as the lead on teen pregnancy prevention.
Synopsis of Original Bill
House Bill 331 appropriates twenty-five thousand ($25,000) from the general fund to Children,
Youth and Families Department for expenditure in FY09 to contract for provision of outreach
activities for education about and prevention of teen pregnancy in coordination with existing
youth service programs in Valencia county.
pg_0002
House Bill 331/aHEC – Page
2
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of twenty-five thousand ($25,000) contained in this bill is a recurring expense
to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2009
shall revert to the general fund.
This appropriation is not contained in the CYFD request or executive recommendation.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
Teen pregnancy prevention is one of the governor’s priorities. New Mexico teen birth rates
decreased by 19.5% from 1998 to 2006, while the U.S. teen birth rates decreased by 26.4%. In
2005, the NM teen birth rate for 15-17 year olds was 35.7 per 1,000 females, a rate 1.6 times
higher than the national teen birth rate of 22 per 1,000 (National Vital Statistics Report, 2005).
In 2005, the birth rate for 15-17 year olds in Valencia County was 30.2 per 1,000 with 54 births,
or 3% of the State’s total (NM Selected Health Statistics, Annual Report, 2005). There are 1,787
female teens ages 15-17 in Valencia County (2005 UNM/BBER). Average birth rates for 15-17
year olds have decreased by 10.4% (2003-2005) in Valencia County.
The Department of Health funds a number of evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention
education programs focusing on comprehensive sex education, service learning, after-school
activities and peer and parent education. Comprehensive sex education teaches about abstinence
as the best method for avoiding STDs and unintended pregnancy, but also teaches about
condoms and contraception. It teaches interpersonal and communication skills and helps young
people explore their own values, goals, and options, to make responsible decisions about their
reproductive health.
Collaborative efforts to strengthen the provision of family resources and support for teen parents
involves numerous agencies and organizations working in conjunction with CYFD and the
Department of Health. The teen parent services provided by CYFD work closely with and
complement the teen pregnancy prevention programs provided through DOH. Overall, the
reduction of teen pregnancy and the prevention and reduction of child abuse and child neglect
among teen parents are issues demanding change and continued support within New Mexico.
CYFD programs focus on providing community-based services seeking to reduce the number of
repeat pregnancies for teen mothers, helps clients complete high school or GED education, help
clients acquire job skills and develop life skills necessary to become self-sufficient, and acquire
additional parenting skills aimed at lessening the incidence of child abuse and neglect.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
CYFD's mission focuses on providing prevention and intervention services to vulnerable
populations. This bill is consistent with that mission.
Teen pregnancy prevention is one of the executive’s priorities.
Public Education Department (PED) reports that if passed, HB 331 may positively impact
schools’ ability to comply with PED-required Health Education Content Standards with
Benchmarks and Performance Measures.
pg_0003
House Bill 331/aHEC – Page
3
HB331 is related to the Department of Health FY2009 Strategic Plan, Program Area 2-Public
Health, Objective 2, Reduce Teen Pregnancy, as measured by: Annual teen birth rate for females
age 15-17.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
Administrative services related to the development and monitoring of contract services would be
provided from existing CYFD resources.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
Relates to: HB 475 “Valencia County Teen Pregnancy Outreach", HB 76 “Otero County Teen
Pregnancy", and SB 185 “Statewide Teen Pregnancy Prevention".
Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Without knowing the exact intent of the legislation, the Department of Health has historically
been the lead agency for managing teen pregnancy prevention programs in the State, it is
suggested that the bill be amended to appropriate the funds to Department of Health, rather than
the Children, Youth and Families Department.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Hispanic teens continue to have the highest rates of teen births (ages 15-17) and show the least
decrease over time in both New Mexico and at the national level (2007 Racial and Ethnic Health
Disparities Report Card).
Hispanic females compose 46% of the female population aged 15-17, but nearly 71% of the
births to females ages 15-17 in NM are to Hispanic females. While birth rates for White teens in
NM decreased by 28.2% from 2000 to 2004, there was little change in birth rates for Hispanic
and American Indian teens (NM DOH/Family Planning Program Teen Pregnancy Fact Sheet
2007). The birth rate among Hispanic females has declined less than the rate for all races both in
New Mexico and in the United States.
Teen pregnancy prevention is an important public health issue affecting Hispanic, Native
American and African American communities. Expanding outreach to provide access to a greater
number of youths in these ethno-cultural communities would contribute to reducing the high
rates of teen pregnancy.
Valencia County is one of the fastest growing counties in the State with 32% of the population
under the age of 20; 55% of the County’s population is Hispanic. In 2005 the Valencia County
Population data for Race/Ethnicity indicated Hispanics accounted for 55.4 percent of the
population. (Source: MapStats from FedStats)
Additional funding for expansion of teen sexuality and pregnancy prevention education would
contribute to reducing teen pregnancy rates among Hispanic females in Valencia County.
pg_0004
House Bill 331/aHEC – Page
4
PED reports:
1.
PED has responsibilities around teen pregnancy prevention.
2.
The National Teen Pregnancy Organization recommends the following for successful
programs (National Teen Pregnancy Organization, 2001):
•
Focus on specific behavioral goals;
•
Based on theoretical approaches;
•
Deliver clear messages about sexual activity and/or contraceptive use;
•
Provide basic information about risks associated with teen sexual activity and
methods to avoid pregnancy or STDs;
•
Address social pressures toward having sex;
•
Provide activities to practice communication and refusal skills;
•
Incorporate multiple teaching methods and personalize information to individual
needs;
•
Are tailored to participants’ age-level, culture and level of sexual experience;
•
Are long enough to cover all information and activities; and
•
Provide appropriate training for teachers or peer leaders who are committed to the
program.
3.
Reported from the NM Youth Risk Residency Survey, 2005:
•
In 2005, 46% reported that they had sexual intercourse (similar to the 48% in 2003).
•
In New Mexico, 32.8% of the students were currently sexually active (had sex within
three months of the survey).
•
The prevalence of Hispanics (39.5%) was higher than the prevalence among white
non-Hispanics (23.3%).
•
As grade level increased, so did the prevalence of current sexual activity.
Las Lunas Alternative High School, Century High, has a
Graduation Reality and Duel-Role
Skills (
GRADS) program (2007-2008) GRADS is a
statewide system that began as an in-
school program for teenage parent and has since added on site childcare centers, pregnancy
prevention, career readiness, youth development and fatherhood components.
References:
New Mexico Department of Health, Family Planning Program. 2005 New Mexico Health
Statistics Annual Report, Retrieved January 17, 2008, from
http://www.health.state.nm.us/
.
New Mexico Department of Health, Family Planning Program. 2006-2010 Challenge 2010 New
Mexico Retrieved January 23, 2008, from http://www.nmtpc.org
.
NM Public Education Department, NM Department of Health and University of NM, 2005. NM
Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) 2005 Report of State’s Results.
ALTERNATIVES
DOH is the lead state agency for managing teen pregnancy prevention programs in NM. It is
unclear if the sponsor of the bill intended to develop a new teen pregnancy prevention program at
CYFD aimed at at-risk youth.
DL/mt