Summary:

 House Bill 133 (HB 133) requires the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) to obtain identification cards for certain children fourteen years of age or older who have been in the Department’s custody for thirty or more consecutive days. 

Legislation Overview:

 House Bill 133 (HB 133) enacts a new section of the Children's Code to require (with certain exceptions) that the CYFD provide a child an opportunity to obtain a standard identification card no later than ninety days after the child was placed in the custody of the CYFD.

If the department is unable to comply due to the child's incarceration, elopement, physical or mental disability or specialized placement where the child cannot be transported, or upon approval of the court, the department must obtain the identification card no later than ninety days from the date the condition preventing compliance ceases to exist. 

A definition for "child" is provided, meaning:  (1) an individual at least fourteen years of age but under nineteen years of age; or (2) an individual at least fourteen years of age but under twenty-one years of age who is participating in the fostering connections program pursuant to Section 32A-26-3 NMSA 1978; and (3) an individual who has been placed in the custody of the protective services division of the department for thirty or more consecutive days.
 

Current Law:

 The Children’s Code does not currently provide these mandatory timelines for provision of identification cards.