House Advances Two CYFD Reform Bills with Strong Bipartisan Support
CYFD oversight bill passes House floor and transparency legislation clears committee
Santa Fe, NM - Two key Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) reform bills moved forward in the House today.
House Bill 11, which would establish the Office of the Child Advocate within the Attorney General’s office, passed the House floor with a bipartisan vote of 56-9. This new office would review and strengthen the services provided by CYFD to better protect children’s rights to privacy, health care, and education. It would also investigate and work to resolve complaints, make referrals and recommendations, operate a toll-free hotline, and provide an annual report detailing its work and findings.
“We must do everything in our power to make sure New Mexican children are protected,” said Representative Tara Jaramillo (D-Socorro). “By establishing the Office of the Child Advocate, we can better protect the rights and well-being of our kids, and critically, help prevent tragedies before they happen.”
The bill has 16 bipartisan sponsors including Rep. Jaramillo, Rep. Kathleen Cates (D-Rio Rancho), Rep. Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque), Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski (D-Santa Fe), Rep. Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), and Rep. Marian Matthews (D-Albuquerque). The bill now heads to the Senate.
Additional CYFD reform legislation passed the House Health and Human Services Committee this morning with a unanimous vote. House Bill 10 would bring greater transparency to CYFD, by authorizing the agency to publicly disclose factual and complete information gathered about actions taken by the department in serious cases of child abuse and neglect.
“Historically, CYFD’s hands have been legally tied in heartbreaking abuse and neglect cases, preventing us from having crucial access to accurate information,” said Rep. Matthews. “Authorizing public disclosure will help the agency be more responsive to the public’s right to information, and most important, help us to better protect children from further harm.”
The bill’s bipartisan sponsors are Reps. Matthews, Greg Nibert (R-Roswell), Jaramillo, Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque), Whip Szczepanski, Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), and Stefani Lord (R-Sandia Park). The bill now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.
Both these bills are solutions that emerged from a months-long working group studying potential CYFD reforms. They are also part of the House Democrats’ slate of bills focused on improving the safety of New Mexico’s children and communities.
The Roundhouse is open to the public for the 2023 session. Members of the public can also view floor sessions and committee meetings on the New Mexico Legislature’s Webcasts tab, and provide comment via phone or Zoom as directed on the daily schedule.
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