Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Lawmakers warn ARPA‑funded child mental‑health and care programs face lapse on Sept. 30; demand continuity plans
Loading...
Summary
At a May 22 House commission hearing, legislators pressed AMSCA and CUDEN officials about ARPA‑funded child mental‑health and care programs that agency witnesses said will end Sept. 30 unless replaced, and ordered agencies to provide payment and program continuity information within five business days.
President Ortiz Lugo convened the Commission for Development and Oversight of Public Funds for the southeast region on May 22 to examine House Resolution 204 and probe the future of ARPA‑funded child programs that agency witnesses said expire Sept. 30.
Julissa Rivera Santiago, director of legal affairs for CUDEN, and Wilmaira Villafaña, director of AMSCA’s Division for Children, Youth and Families, told the commission the ARPA and recovery funds financed emergency expansions — including mental‑health outreach, mobile and intensive ambulatory services, and added social‑work positions — that have reached thousands of participants. "Hemos atendido más de ciento setenta mil personas en comunidades orientando sobre temas de la salud mental," Wilmaira Villafaña said, describing the program’s reach and results.
Members pressed officials on two immediate concerns: whether delegated providers have been paid on time and what will happen once ARPA‑backed funding ends. President Ortiz Lugo told agency staff he would give them five business days to produce detailed records of payments and lists of centers receiving funds. "Voy a dar cinco días laborables para que le ofrezca esta comisión la información específica de los centros," he said.
Agency witnesses confirmed the programs were initially financed with federal recovery (ARPA) dollars and other one‑time recovery funds. Staff described contractual history with some providers — a contract signed in 2021 with amendments in 2022 and an extension effective through Sept. 30 — and said the specific pandemic‑era initiatives were not structured as permanent recurring programs. CUDEN staff gave consolidated budget figures for the portfolio of child‑care and early‑childhood programs: a consolidated requested total of roughly $248.1 million, of which about $13.5 million was identified as state funds and $234.6 million as federal in the consolidated package.
Lawmakers repeatedly warned that ending the ARPA programs could reverse gains in prevention and mental‑health access. Several members argued the legislature and executive branch should identify funds or budget amendments to sustain core services such as social‑work staffing and preventive centers. "No podemos retroceder" was a recurring refrain as members outlined the risks to children and to longer‑term outcomes in schools and communities.
Next steps: President Ortiz Lugo said he would convene an executive session and summon the secretaries of Education and Family, along with AMSCA and CUDEN leadership, to pursue funding alternatives and report back. The commission also demanded the five‑day payment and program status report from the agencies. The hearing closed with the commission reserving follow‑up work for the scheduled executive meeting.
