A. The "office on African American affairs" is created and attached administratively to the human services department.

B. The governor shall appoint a director, who shall work at the pleasure of the governor. The director shall employ other necessary employees, who shall be subject to the provisions of the Personnel Act [Chapter 10, Article 9 NMSA 1978].

C. The office, in cooperation with the Martin Luther King, Jr. commission, shall:

(1) study issues important to African Americans, including history and culture; education, scholarships and other financial assistance for education and career development; economic and social problems and issues such as jobs, housing, discrimination, family support, youth idleness and crime; and health care, maternal and child health, teen pregnancy, access and other health issues;

(2) secure recognition of African Americans' accomplishments and contributions to New Mexico and the United States;

(3) cooperate with and assist public and private entities dealing with issues important to African Americans;

(4) direct the operations of the office;

(5) where appropriate, conduct periodic conferences throughout the state to inform African Americans of the opportunities available to them through state and private sources, to encourage them to share their history and culture with other New Mexicans and participate in the social and political processes of their communities and to learn from conference participants their needs and problems; and

(6) otherwise act as an advocate for African American citizens of New Mexico.

D. Additionally, the office shall:

(1) act as a clearinghouse for information important to the African American community;

(2) function as the coordinating office for all services and activities of state agencies and programs pertaining to African Americans;

(3) encourage funding and implementation of training programs and other opportunities for African Americans;

(4) promote and develop programs about community resources designed to meet the needs of African Americans;

(5) prepare and submit a budget for the office; and

(6) publish an annual report on the activities and services of the office.

E. The office may:

(1) adopt and promulgate rules in accordance with the State Rules Act [Chapter 14, Article 4 NMSA 1978] to carry out the duties of the office;

(2) accept gifts, grants, donations, bequests and devises from any source to be used to carry out its duties; and

(3) enter into contracts.

History: Laws 1999, ch. 163, § 3.

Effective dates. — Laws 1999, ch. 163, § 5, made the African American Affairs Act effective July 1, 2000.

Temporary provisions. — Laws 2014, ch. 68, § 1, effective May 21, 2014, provided:

A. By July 1, 2014, the director of the office on African American affairs shall create and implement a one-year pilot program in Bernalillo county. The pilot program shall seek to reduce infant mortality and enhance maternal health among African American residents.

B. The office on African American affairs shall partner with competent direct service providers to employ and track implementation of a prenatal health care model known as "centering" among pregnant African American women that has been proven nationally to reduce infant mortality and premature birth rates.

C. The office on African American affairs shall design and implement a culturally competent tool for providing health care education and outreach to pregnant African American women living in Bernalillo county. Women participating in the pilot program shall be offered solutions for enhancing their health during pregnancy and reducing the risk of infant mortality.

D. The office on African American affairs shall establish benchmarks for the pilot program. It shall collect and analyze qualitative data about the pilot program's outcomes and compare these outcomes to the benchmarks.

E. By November 1, 2015, the director of the office on African American affairs shall report the findings and recommendations arising from the pilot program to the governor, the secretary of health and the legislative health and human services committee.