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Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CYFD reform efforts inch forward in the Roundhouse
Feb. 21—SANTA FE — One by one, New Mexico's youth, education, health and workforce secretaries lined up in a House committee room Friday to speak against an effort to overhaul the state's Children, Youth and Families Department. Despite the opposition, the House Health and Human Services Committee voted 9-1 to enact House Joint Resolution 5, a measure that would allow voters to remove CYFD from the governor's oversight and instead create a five-member independent commission to hire a CYFD executive director by July 2027. It's not the only CYFD reform effort the committee passed Friday. Members also voted 9-1 to pass House Bill 5, which would create an Office of the Child Advocate administratively attached to the New Mexico Department of Justice, formerly the Attorney General's Office. "We need to do something now. We cannot continue to wait and put this off," said HJR5 bill sponsor Rep. Eleanor Chavez, D-Albuquerque. New Mexico has long struggled to address child welfare issues, and lawmakers have increased spending on CYFD in recent years in an attempt to hire more social workers. However, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has opposed efforts to increase outside oversight of the agency, instead ordering the creation of a new advisory council and office of innovation within CYFD. Both pieces of legislation still need to cross over to the Senate side of the Roundhouse before getting a chance at passage, though only House Bill 5 would require the governor's signature. The efforts have failed in past years. "CYFD welcomes accountability, oversight and partnership in improving CYFD to better serve New Mexicans, but an Office of Child Advocate attached to the Department of Justice just doesn't achieve this," CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados told the committee. Similarly, Deputy Secretary of Protective Services and Juvenile Justice Valerie Sandoval, speaking on behalf of Casados, said other legislative proposals — not HJR5 — would help solve the agency's challenges. "Removing CYFD as a Cabinet-level agency would hinder collaboration with key state agencies essential to child welfare, education and health," she said. She brought up a letter child welfare advocates Judith Meltzer and Kevin Ryan sent earlier this week to Casados and Tara Ford, counsel on a settlement in a lawsuit known as Kevin S., which sought reform of New Mexico's child welfare system. "In our view, child welfare services cannot be successfully operated in a vacuum. ... Commission-led governance is very likely, in our view, to exacerbate many of the problems we have documented in New Mexico," Meltzer and Ryan wrote, both of whom were dubbed "co-neutrals" as part of the settlement to help guide reform efforts. Speaking as a bill expert, Alvin Sallee, a foster parent and professor emeritus for New Mexico State University's social work program, said HJR5 would remove politics from CYFD, eliminating a secretary appointee coming at the whim of any gubernatorial administration. Under the resolution, the five commission members would be appointed staggered six-year terms by the governor, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority floor leader of the Senate and the minority floor leader of the House of Representatives. Sallee compared the setup to that of the state's Public Regulation Commission, which recently went through an overhaul to become a three-member appointed commission, all serving staggered six-year Alan Martinez, R-Bernalillo, said he was dead set against HJR5 until the only ones who spoke in opposition were state Cabinet or deputy secretaries. Secretaries Mariana Padilla of the Public Education Department, who still is awaiting Senate confirmation; Kari Armijo of the Health Care Authority; Elizabeth Groginsky of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department; and Sarita Nair of the Department of Workforce Solutions also spoke against HJR5. "It says a lot about circling the wagons and trying to protect the status quo," Martinez said. Rep. Nicole Chavez, R-Albuquerque, voted against HJR5. She told the Journal after the committee she doesn't believe the measure would substantially improve the department; it "shifts the blame for CYFD's ineffectiveness from the Governor's Office to a politically appointed body." "I have appreciated Secretary Casados' involvement and participation during this legislative session and hope we can reform our (Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act) and place safeguards to ensure New Mexico's children are protected," she said. "Our state has invested millions of dollars following the Kevin S. lawsuit and yet CYFD continues to fail our children." Rep. Pamelya Herndon, D-Albuquerque, was the sole vote against HB5. She asked a few clarifying questions on the bill during the discussion but didn't explain her "no" vote afterward. She's also a sponsor of HJR5.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers proposing joint resolution to create more CYFD oversight
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Reform of the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD) is one of the governor's top priorities in this legislative session. Now, lawmakers are proposing their ideas on what that could look like, including the creation of new entities to oversee the department. Currently, the governor has full authority in selecting and appointing the CYFD cabinet secretary who manages the department. A Democrat-led joint resolution wants to create more transparency by forming a commission that would help oversee the department. 'CYFD is in chaos; we are not doing right by our kids…We need a structural overhaul and that's really the purpose of this bill, we need to move it out from under the governor, we need to get the politics out of it, and we need to stop the revolving door,' said Representative Eleanor Chávez, (D- Albuquerque). Bill aimed at reducing strain on freshwater reserves returns to legislative session In the past, the governor's CYFD appointments have sparked criticism for their lack of background in the foster care system. Now, Democratic Representative Eleanor Chavez is the lead sponsor for the house joint resolution that, if passed, would create a CYFD Commission that would add an extra layer of oversight on the department. It would be made up of five members, each serving six-year terms, who'd have the power to select an executive director for CYFD. The governor and the two top lawmakers from each party would each appoint one member. Although CYFD reform was brought up last session, Representative Chavez says this year, she's confident more change will be accomplished. Senate Finance Committee weighs proposed behavioral health package 'The difference has been that we continue to see chaos and dysfunction in that department and it's gotten even worse and I think that's part of the momentum why people are feeling compelled to act. We're really in a crisis moment,' said Rep. Chávez. If the joint house resolution were to make it through this entire session, it would eventually need to be voted on by the public during the next general election. The house Government, elections, and Indian Affairs Committee voted 4-3 to advance the joint resolution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
