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| SPONSOR: | Garcia | DATE TYPED: | 01/30/01 | HB | |||
| SHORT TITLE: | Satellite Consumer Protection Bureau | SB | 7 | ||||
| ANALYST: | Valdes | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY01 | FY02 | FY01 | FY02 | ||
| $ 450.0 | Recurring | General Fund | |||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Attorney General
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 7 appropriates $450.0 to the Attorney General to establish a satellite Consumer Protection Bureau office in Las Cruces.
Significant Issues
According to the Attorney General, the establishment of this office will allow the Consumer Protection Bureau to educate and protect the public and have a stronger presence in southern New Mexico. There is a significant amount of businesses and individuals being exploited by illegal activities in this area. This office will provide quicker response time for investigations and increase the amount of cases resolved. The education function of the bureau will be more cost-effective and efficient because travel time from Santa Fe or Albuquerque will be eliminated. Increased presence and education will help reduce consumer fraud in the southern region of the state.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
The Attorney General's budget will move to performance budgeting in FY03. This bill would improve performance and service to the public in southern New Mexico on consumer protection issues.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
This bill would create a permanent consumer protection office in Las Cruces with an initial cost of $450.0, which would be appropriated from the General Fund. This expansion would be a recurring cost to the General Fund. The appropriation would provide an attorney, an investigator and a consumer advocate. It would also fund overhead costs of the office.
According to the agency, it is possible this office could generate additional revenue through consumer settlements.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
Establishment of the Las Cruces office will allow more efficient consumer protection services, according to the agency.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
This expansion was requested last year and was not funded by the 2000 Legislature. The request was not recommended by the LFC or the executive.
MV/ar