CYFD SHORT-TERM STABILIZATION PILOT PGM
HB 65 creates a three-year pilot program in seven New Mexico counties (Dona Ana, Chaves, San Juan, McKinley, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Eddy) to improve stability for children in state custody. It provides in-home or home-like placements with enhanced services - including 24-hour crisis support, weekly therapy, parent training, and monthly family sessions - to reduce placement disruptions. The program prioritizes children with frequent placement history, behavioral health needs, or risk of disruption, and includes specialized incentives for foster homes caring for adolescents, siblings, or those needing short-term stabilization. The state appropriates $2.5 million to fund the program through fiscal year 2029, requiring collaboration between the Children, Youth and Families Department and Health Care Authority.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 9, 2026
Last action Mar 24, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
introduced version
→
HC substitute
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was amended by the House Health and Human Services Committee to change the program name from 'Short-Term Stabilization Pilot Program' to 'Foster Care Plus Pilot Project' and to rename the bill title accordingly. The substantive policy content remains largely the same, but the committee substituted the text to align with their preferred terminology and formatting standards.
Scope change
The scope and applicability of the program remain unchanged. It still applies to children in state custody in the same six counties (Dona Ana, Chaves, San Juan, McKinley, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Eddy) and serves the same eligible populations.
SCOPE
The program name was changed from 'Short-Term Stabilization Pilot Program' to 'Foster Care Plus Pilot Project' throughout the bill text, including in the title, section headers, and references within the body.
TECHNICAL
The bill title was updated to reflect the new program name 'Foster Care Plus Pilot Project' instead of 'Short-Term Stabilization Pilot Program', and the committee substitute formatting was applied with updated header information.
Minor formatting and line break adjustments were made throughout the document, including changes to how the legislative session information is displayed and how section headers are formatted.
Floor votes · House Feb 14, 2026
How they voted
61–0
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 66
Feb 14, 2026
D
Democratic40
90% Yea
R
Republican26
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
10
Key actions
5
Committee
4
Feb 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
DO PASS committee report adopted
upper
Feb 15, 2026
Introduced
Sent to Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee
upper
Feb 14, 2026
Lower · Passed
passed House
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
DO PASS, as amended, committee report adopted
lower
Feb 4, 2026
Lower · Passed
DO NOT PASS, replaced with committee substitute
lower
Jan 28, 2026
Introduced
Sent to House Health & Human Services Committee & House Appropriations & Finance Committee
lower
Jan 22, 2026
Lower · Passed
not printed House Rules and Order of Business Committee
lower
Jan 9, 2026
Introduced
Sent to House Pre-file
lower
5 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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