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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Stewart		DATE TYPED:	01/28/03		HB	HJM 3
SHORT TITLE:		Reduce Vehicle-Wildlife Collisions				SB
					ANALYST:		Gilbert

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
			$0.1 See Narrative	Recurring

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

No Response

State Highway and Transportation Department (SHTD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Joint Memorial 3 requests state and congressional officials to take formal action to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions on New Mexico roads.

Significant Issues

This bill requests:

The New Mexico congressional delegation to help secure federal funding for enlarging or building underpasses and overpasses and for implementing other technologies to make our roads safer for wildlife and people;

The governor to declare a "state day" to educate people about the importance of reducing vehicle-wildlife collisions;

The governor to require state agencies to educate drivers of state vehicles about ways to mitigate vehicle-wildlife collisions;

Requests the State Highway and Transportation Department (SHTD) and Motor Vehicle Division of the Taxation and Revenue Department to include information in written materials, driver's education programs and driver's license manuals and tests about the hazards and prevention of vehicle-wildlife collisions;

Commends the Game and Fish Department and the SHTD for working together to make our highways safer for wildlife and people and encourages them to create a memorandum of understanding requiring them to cooperate on long-term planning of road projects and to share information to help reduce road kill resulting from vehicle-wildlife collisions on the roads of New Mexico; and

Copies of this memorial be transmitted to the New Mexico congressional delegation, the governor, the secretary of SHTD, the chair of the State Game Commission, the director of the Department of Game and Fish and the director of the Motor Vehicle Division of the Taxation and Revenue Department.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

If the recommendations contained in HJM3 are implemented, recurring costs will arise from publicizing the vehicle-wildlife state day and providing new written materials and training relating to vehicle-wildlife collisions.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The SHTD, the State Game Commission, the Department of Game and Fish, and the Motor Vehicle Division of the Taxation and Revenue Department must work cooperatively together to carry out the provisions of this bill.

RLG/prr