Bill > SJM5

This Joint Memorial requests the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center to reconvene the J. Paul Taylor Early Childhood Task Force, named after a former legislator and advocate for children, to continue its important work. The task force has been instrumental since 2013 in bringing together various groups, including state agencies, healthcare providers, and community leaders, to improve how they collaborate. Its goal is to develop better ways to identify and help families and young children who are at risk of various challenges, such as abuse or neglect, by researching successful programs and recommending actions like increasing funding for early childhood programs, expanding screening for at-risk children, and creating a unified online directory of resources for families. The memorial asks the task force to continue its efforts in 2017, report its latest recommendations to legislative committees by December 1, 2017, and meet at least quarterly to develop a legislative report.