HERE TO HELP YOU. IS KIND OF THE MESSAGE THAT FOLKS GET DECADES AGO. GAIL ARMSTRONG, WHO LATER BECAME A STATE REPRESENTATIVE, WAS FACED WITH A NO WIN SITUATION. I WASN’T WILLING TO LET THAT BABY BE IN DANGER. AND THAT BABY WAS IN DANGER. AND IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME, BUT IT WASN’T OBVIOUS TO SEE WHY. HAD ARMSTRONG BROTHER HAD A BABY? BOTH PARENTS, SHE SAYS, WERE DRUG ADDICTED. HER BROTHER ENDED UP IN JAIL, SO SHE WANTED TO TAKE CARE OF HER NIECE. CYFD TOLD ME TO GIVE THE BABY BACK. CYFD WANTED TO PUT THE CHILD IN THE CARE OF HER MOTHER. ARMSTRONG NEVER GAVE THE CHILD BACK, DESPITE BEING TOLD TO DO SO. BUT YOU BROKE THE LAW. I DID. I BROKE THE LAW. I. I BASICALLY TRICKED HER MOTHER IS WHAT I DID. AND I BROKE THE LAW BECAUSE I KNEW GIVING HER BACK, SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABANDONED. SHE POSSIBLY COULD HAVE DIED. SHE COULD HAVE BEEN MOLESTED. GOD ONLY KNOWS. ARMSTRONG’S NIECE IS NOW 18 ND WORKS AS A PHLEBOTOMIST AND IS HOPING TO GO TO COLLEGE. HER FATHER IS NOW CLEAN, BUT SHE IS A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN AND REALLY, REALLY SMART. AND I GUARANTEE YOU SHE WAS PROBABLY BORN DRUG ADDICTED. ARMSTRONG IS NOW A STATE REPRESENTATIVE AND IS ONE OF SEVERAL BIPARTISAN LEGISLATOR WHO TRIED TO PASS MORE THAN 30 PIECES OF LEGISLATION TO CHANGE CYFD LAST SESSION. EVERY BILL EXCEPT FOR THE ONE THAT GOT THROUGH GOT HELD UP IN A COMMITTEE SOMEWHERE, WHETHER IT BE ON THE SENATE SIDE OR THE HOUSE SIDE. IT GOT HELD UP IN A COMMITTEE FOR ARMSTRONG. THINGS GOT HEATED DURING THIS HEARING. HAVE THERE BEEN ANY BABIES THAT WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INJURED OR DIED? THIS PART OF THE HEARING WAS ABOUT KIRA. IN 2016, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PASSED THE COMPREHENSIVE ADDICTION AND RECOVERY ACT, PART OF THE LAW REQUIRED THE US DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO DEVELOP PLANS FOR THE SAFE CARE OF INFANTS BORN WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS. MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT’S TOO MANY. AND THERE NEEDS TO BE GUARDRAILS AND. IT MAKES ME SICK. THANK YOU. YEAH, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE. MEXICO PASSED ITS OWN KIRA ACT, BUT ACCORDING TO MARILYN BECK WITH NEW MEXICO CHILD FIRST NETWORK, IT MISSED ITS MARK. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF KERA UNDER STATE LAW SINCE 2019 HAS BEEN A SINGLE GREATEST FAILURE YET. NEW MEXICO’S CAROLLA GOT RID OF THE REQUIREMENT THAT A HOSPITAL HAD TO NOTIFY CYFD IF A BABY WAS BORN ADDICTED OR TO AN ADDICTED PARENT. INSTEAD, THE LAW REQUIRED HOSPITAL STAFF TO GIVE THEM A PLAN OF CARE AND SEND THEM HOME. SINCE THE LAW WAS ENACTED, THERE HAVE BEEN 3800 BABIES SENT HOME WITH THEIR PARENTS. ARMSTRONG AND OTHER LEGISLATORS WERE TRYING TO PASS A BILL THAT WOULD ACTUALLY ALLOW THE STATE TO TAKE A CHILD INTO CUSTODY IF BORN, DRUG ADDICTED. AND SO THE QUESTION I ASKED WAS HOW MANY BABIES HAVE DIED UNDER THE CARE PLAN AND NO ONE KNEW THE ANSWER. THEY WERE WHISPERING TO EACH OTHER. NO ONE WOULDN’T YOU THINK YOU WOULD KNOW THAT ANSWER IT. JUST INFO CREATED ME. THAT THEY DIDN’T KNOW THE ANSWER. ENDED UP THE ANSWER WAS NINE AND I SAID THAT’S NINE. TOO MANY. AND I COULDN’T CONTROL MY EMOTIONS AND GOT UP AND WALKED OUT BECAUSE. WHY WOULD YOU NOT KNOW? HAD TO ANSWER HER. YOU’RE THERE TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN OF NEW MEXICO. AND NINE BABIES ARE IN THE