New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT › Subtitle A - Governor's Office › Chapter I - Executive Orders › Part 5 - Executive Orders (George E. Pataki) › Section 5.55 - Executive order no. 55: establishing a task force on out-of-wedlock pregnancies and poverty

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
WHEREAS, this State and the United States Congress have
					 recognized that out-of-wedlock pregnancies contribute to the cycle of poverty
					 and increase the dependence of needy families on government;
WHEREAS, out-of-wedlock births account for approximately
					 one-third of all births in New York State;
WHEREAS, it has been well documented that unintended
					 pregnancy is linked to increased maternal mortality and increased risk of
					 infant morbidity, mortality, low birth weight, poor educational outcomes and
					 other impairments, and, 80 percent of all teen births nationally are
					 unintended, and, in New York, an average of one out of every 10 adolescent
					 females becomes pregnant;
WHEREAS, three-quarters of all adolescent births in New
					 York are paid for by Medicaid, and approximately one-half of the funds paid
					 under welfare programs go to families that began as the result of an adolescent
					 pregnancy;
WHEREAS, adolescent mothers are less likely than older
					 mothers to have completed high school, have a full-time job, and be able to
					 earn enough to support a family;
WHEREAS, Congress enacted the Personal Responsibility and
					 Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which requires that each state, as
					 a condition for receiving Federal funds, establish goals and take action to
					 prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special
					 emphasis on teenage pregnancies;
WHEREAS, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
					 Reconciliation Act contains a provision to award a bonus grant for Federal
					 fiscal years 1999-2002 to no more than five states which demonstrate the
					 highest net decrease in out-of-wedlock births without increasing the state's
					 rate of induced pregnancy terminations; and
WHEREAS, it is crucial to develop and promote pregnancy
					 prevention programs, with a special emphasis on teenage pregnancy
					 prevention;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE E. PATAKI, Governor of the State
					 of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
					 Laws of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
I. TASK FORCE ON OUT-OF-WEDLOCK PREGNANCIES
				  AND POVERTY
There is hereby established the Task Force on
					 Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancies and Poverty for the purpose of studying the problem
					 of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special emphasis on teenage pregnancies,
					 and developing a 10-year plan and goals regarding the reduction of such
					 pregnancies in New York State. The task force shall be chaired by the Executive
					 Director of the Council on Children and Families, and shall consist of the
					 Commissioner of the Department of Health, the Deputy Commissioner for Temporary
					 Assistance of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance; the
					 Commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services; and the Assistant
					 Counsel to the Governor responsible for social welfare and child welfare. The
					 task force shall be made up of no more than nine additional members appointed
					 by the Governor, and shall include representatives from the private and
					 not-for-profit sectors who have expertise in programs preventing out-of-wedlock
					 pregnancy, particularly among adolescents. Members of the task force shall
					 receive no compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for any
					 necessary expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their
					 duties.
II. POWERS AND
				  RESPONSIBILITIES OF TASK FORCE
The Task Force on Out-of-Wedlock Pregnancies and Poverty
					 shall be responsible for developing recommendations regarding goals and
					 strategies for the reduction of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, with special
					 emphasis on teenage pregnancies, and for developing the State's plan for
					 achieving these goals for calendar years 1997-2007.
As part of its mission, the Task Force shall:
1. develop and promote pregnancy prevention
				  strategies designed to prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and to identify those
				  communities where such programs are most needed;
2. identify and assess the effectiveness of
				  existing programs, including those in other states;
3. establish common performance measures,
				  including measures of cost-effectiveness, to enable better program assessment
				  and more efficient and effective coordination of programs and resources among
				  State and local agencies;
4.
				  promote the replication of successful strategies in underserved and high-need
				  communities by, among other things, providing technical assistance to
				  localities in the creation of effective programs;
5. explore ways to foster male responsibility
				  and hold fathers more accountable for the financial, social and emotional
				  support of their children born out-of-wedlock;
6. encourage local school districts and
				  communities to establish programs designed to help adolescents understand the
				  responsibilities of parenthood, to retain in school those adolescents who
				  become parents, and to enhance their skills as parents;
7. promote, through involvement of business
				  and communities, daycare, training and employment programs and opportunities
				  that better prepare and enable young parents to support their children;
				  and
8. urge enforcement of the
				  sexual offense provisions of the penal laws which hold an adult male criminally
				  responsible for having sexual relations with an adolescent female.
The task force shall submit an interim report to the
					 Governor by January l, 1998, which documents the activities underway and to be
					 undertaken by the member agencies individually and jointly to prevent
					 out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The task force shall submit a final report to the
					 Governor by June 1, 1998.