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Committee amends and advances $3 million bill to fund tribal liaisons for ICWA/IFPA compliance
Summary
Senate Bill 242, which would provide $3 million to CYFD’s Office of Tribal Affairs to contract field liaisons to support Indian Child Welfare Act and Indian Family Protection Act compliance, was amended to authorize multiple liaisons and received a unanimous due-pass recommendation.
Senate Bill 242, sponsored by Senator Pinto, would appropriate $3,000,000 from the general fund to the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) for its Office of Tribal Affairs to contract field liaison(s) intended to improve compliance with the New Mexico Indian Family Protection Act and the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The committee approved an amendment to change the bill language to permit multiple "field liaisons."
Supporters argued dedicated staffing and funding are necessary to improve compliance and tribal coordination. "Ensuring that CYFD has dedicated funding is essential for meaningful compliance with IFPA and ICWA," said Micah Vitsany of Bold Futures, which helped develop the Indian Family Protection Act. Online witness Donalyn Lorenzo told the committee that "the issue is not the law, it's accountability," arguing that Office of Tribal Affairs recommendations are often ignored and that noncompliance risks legal and fiscal consequences for the state.
Senators asked whether the proposal is currently included in House Bill 2 and whether CYFD supports the additional funding; Pinto said the appropriation is not yet in HB2 and emphasized the need for interim collaboration between CYFD and tribal partners. The committee voted on and approved the amendment to pluralize "liaisons," then recorded a unanimous 4-0 due-pass recommendation on the amended bill.
The measure advances to the next legislative stage; specifics about how contracts would be structured and whether the $3 million will be placed in HB2 will be determined during the budget process.
