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

SPONSOR HCPAC

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/1/07

HB 134/HCPACS

SHORT TITLE Aid for Women Veterans and their Families

SB

ANALYST Guambaña

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$469.3

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Veterans’ Services Department (VSD)

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee Substitute for House Bill 134 appropriates $469,

250 from the General Fund to the Veterans’ Services Department for the purposes of expanding

services to women veterans and their families as well as conducting a pilot project. The bill

carries an emergency clause.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $469,250 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 08 shall revert to the

General Fund.

DFA states that the Executive recommendation does not include funds for a Women’s Veterans’

Center as specified in this bill.

House Bill 134 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

VSD asserts that there are over 26,000 women veterans in New Mexico with unique issues and

needs. The Women’s Veterans’ Center pilot project would provide therapy, trauma treatment,

support groups, an on-site women’s veterans’ service officer and staff training for individuals

serving this population. The project would additionally analyze data specific to the needs of

women veterans of New Mexico and compile this information accordingly.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The VSD maintains that a minimum of two certified counselors would be required to initiate the

program.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The VSD indicates that a location to house the Center would need to be established.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

Does the Center’s funding request include costs associated with the lease of a space to house the

program.

AG/csd