[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6118503,"mediaKeyId","2723617-60acd6a74cfae8bdf78999b9ac0bf4a9","parentId",2723617,"title","Committee advances kinship-caregiver pilot to give grandparents $500 monthly stipend via foundations","audioSeconds",122,"startMs",3363000,"endMs",3485000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723617-60acd6a74cfae8bdf78999b9ac0bf4a9&start=3363&end=3485","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723617-60acd6a74cfae8bdf78999b9ac0bf4a9/thumbnail_3363000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6118503/New-Mexico/Committee-advances-kinship-caregiver-pilot-to-give-grandparents-500-monthly-stipend-via-foundations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118503-614acbee794654b9d6e97babf635369d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776005467&Signature=jV03Dhd8XVq05u19pfWqGG6XOIHwmkUGnYSlcnAOLzJ3ncGrSTFpSxd0BSoFw6qbEUcGJwLdzDwUFMaIWTVG7-hY~Syr7f0mUOpYURkkRvD7a~OkvHCNwSZ-y~QkLjKDHcrhEFcf2olkyiPYEzYZyFPT5sRuvxPvUbhMVa0BygrgwzO0ufIuhoSkpt4vWtinqQnr1DQ-nOcBUk1IRnE~40F3eTSIrHhuqJIu6cg9F-Dg9Zq4mTLheQBJATIR~EuNlUUBM6VSmtXbT6UrbF2DegbcxCDznW2yQTrimME0xz4~lZGFYyITA0s91Bw9oYpy59D~W3zEuuHy6lhENGC5-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Mexico Legislature","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","A Senate committee advanced House Bill 252 to create a kinship caregiver support pilot administered through the Department of Aging. The bill, carried in committee by a senator presenting the measure, would pair foundation funding with department staff to support grandparents and other kin who take children into their homes but who are not in the formal CYFD foster-care system.

The sponsor said the pilot will hire staff in the Aging and Long-Term Services Department to help kin caregivers navigate federal, state and local resources, provide legal services to help caregivers evaluate custody options, deliver monthly training and conduct home visits, and organize peer support groups. “They will provide the staffing and the foundations will provide the money,” the sponsor said.

Under the pilot as described in committee, foundations would provide a monthly stipend of $500 for three years to participating caregivers; the sponsor told the committee the pilot aims to serve 250 families across about five to seven counties and includes an evaluation component.

Committee members voiced support and asked implementation questions. A senator noted $4,000,000 already exists in the budget to cover Aging Department coordination costs, and several members said the pilot targets a population of kin caregivers who currently do not receive CYFD foster-care payments. Senator Thomason, whose colleague described knowing multiple grandchildren raised by grandparents, said the program targets “exactly the population” she had in mind and voiced support.

A motion to advance the bill was moved by Senator Padilla and seconded by Senator Trio; the committee completed a roll call and the chair announced the measure would go to the floor. Roll-call entries recorded multiple yes votes and at least two no votes; the chair indicated the committee would release several bills to the floor that evening.

Next steps: The bill advances to the Senate floor for further consideration. The pilot's stipend funding comes from private foundation memoranda of understanding with the Department of Aging per the sponsor's description; the bill also tasks the department with staffing and coordination.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate - Finance Mar 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A Senate committee voted to advance House Bill 252, a three-year pilot that would route $500 monthly stipends from private foundations through the Department of Aging to grandparents and kin caring for children outside the formal foster system.","taxTitle","Senate, Committees, Legislative, New Mexico","taxId",29062,"location","New Mexico","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6118508,"Senate committee advances bill adding voluntary manslaughter to juvenile code, frees $5.5M for community programs",145,3071000,3216000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723617-60acd6a74cfae8bdf78999b9ac0bf4a9&start=3071&end=3216","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723617-60acd6a74cfae8bdf78999b9ac0bf4a9/thumbnail_3071000.jpg","/articles/6118508/New-Mexico/Senate-committee-advances-bill-adding-voluntary-manslaughter-to-juvenile-code-frees-55M-for-community-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118508-57dbf13657a5a830b04c8522eb77e4c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1776005467&Signature=JScXphULVi4rpZazGIhrTuTCxy1rO8Q7G85b9RYGZIgimyX558LKPXQ33qQX8bkeL~yWCuVAFumIOCoGa-D8HUe-3fHAepLq5UoxJkIF3q2637iIj2MQpI0MXoZQBOX8mJv547A8a8RGVhPXCFkzEX4nAXrF9RitCIcg2oF~wF4g23QzaXh~9JM8xWjtyyJFMEbp4mNluYkSl-MONYcoAVi4DyDDwGJyW1t5BNz76~T2Oml9a6qSKHpTACaKREwhwdtvBkaHeA0406HoiDSBnzECU5027fAtwQehJ72hFq3xmBa7sgbyx8RRq~PIRCjPEpjIxQhMVWEpP0vq56vHqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A Senate committee on an unspecified date voted 6-5 to advance a bill that changes the children's code to add voluntary manslaughter to the list of offenses that can place a young person under the adult system, expands judges' sentencing options for youth, and redirects roughly $5,500,000 in juvenile corrections grant money so it can fund community programs for youths who are not adjudicated delinquent.

The bill's sponsor, identified in committee as the presenter, told the committee the change adds the crime of voluntary manslaughter to the youthful-offender definition and gives judges a full range of sentence lengths between current statutory minima and maxima. “We added the crime of voluntary manslaughter to that list,” the sponsor said. The sponsor also said the change would let department-managed grant funds be used more broadly: “We're doing a definition change, which will allow the money to flow.”

Committee members pressed for detail about how the bill alters current law and what the $5.5 million would pay for. Under current statute, the sponsor explained, juveniles convicted of voluntary manslaughter remain strictly under the children's code; the bill would permit prosecutors to seek transfer to the adult system for that offense in some cases. The sponsor said the bill also expands probation options from the current 90 days to up to six months and lets judges select intermediate jail terms “anywhere in between” the two statutory choices now available.

The bill also strikes the statutory phrase “adjudicated delinquents” from language governing the juvenile community corrections grant fund and replaces it with broader language to allow “delinquent children or youthful offenders subject to juvenile sanctions or children or youth referred by the department” to be eligible for grants. The sponsor said the bill lists priorities for grant awards on page 20, including programs focused on reducing gun violence, substance abuse, gang activity, trauma-informed treatment, mental-health services, arts, sports and leadership programming.

Several senators said they supported the goal of increasing community programming but expressed deep concerns that increased judicial flexibility could reduce punishment for the state's most serious juvenile offenders. “What how do we know if we vote this bill through? How do we know that we're not allowing judges to give juvenile murderers less time in jail?” Senator Tobias asked during the discussion. Multiple senators described recent high-profile cases involving very young defendants, and some said they feared the bill could be read as making punishments more lenient for violent juvenile crimes.

Committee members also asked about the role of the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD). The sponsor explained that CYFD includes juvenile-justice probation officers and that the department manages the grant fund; the bill does not create a CYFD program but would change who is eligible for grant-funded services. The sponsor said the fund is currently underused because eligibility is limited to adjudicated delinquents.

After debate, the committee took a motion to “do pass.” The motion was moved by Senator Steinborn and seconded by Senator Trujillo. The recorded roll call in committee showed six votes in the affirmative and five votes in the negative, and the chair announced the motion passed.

The bill's sponsor and some supporters framed the measure as a step toward modernizing the children's code, which one presenter said had not been substantially amended since 1993. Dissenting senators sought further safeguards and signaled they may press for changes on the floor or with additional hearings before final passage.

Votes at a glance: The committee motion to advance (do pass) was moved by Senator Steinborn and seconded by Senator Trujillo; committee roll call produced 6 yes, 5 no. The committee chair announced the motion carried.

Next steps: The bill will go to the full Senate (floor) for further consideration; committee members signaled differing positions ahead of a floor vote.","A Senate committee voted 6-5 to advance a bill that adds voluntary manslaughter to the list of offenses that can move a youth into the adult system, gives judges wider sentencing options and allows $5.5 million in juvenile corrections grants to pay for community programs serving non-adjudicated youth.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances kinship-caregiver pilot to give grandparents $500 monthly stipend via foundations

Senate committee advances bill adding voluntary manslaughter to juvenile code, frees $5.5M for community programs