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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Harrison
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
02/05/07
HB 392
SHORT TITLE Nutrition Council Act
SB
ANALYST Hanika Ortiz
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$250.0
recurring
General fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)
FY07
FY08
FY09 3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
Total
*$.1
Recurring General
fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
*see narrative
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Health (DOH)
Public Education Department (PED)
Attorney General’s Office (AGO)
Health Policy Commission (HPC)
Environment Department (ED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 392 enacts the Nutrition Council Act for the purpose of:
.
improving the quality of food grown in, produced in or imported into New Mexico or
exported from New Mexico; and
.
educating New Mexico residents in good nutritional choices.
pg_0002
House Bill 392 – Page
2
The “Nutrition Council" is created, composed of 14 members, including the Assistant Attorney
General for Consumer Protection, the Secretary of Public Education, the Secretary of Health, and
11 members appointed by the governor. The council is administratively attached to the DOH.
The Nutrition Council shall:
A.
study ways to improve the operations of state government nutrition programs and services;
B.
recommend courses of instruction and practical training for those involved in the
administration of state nutrition programs;
C.
develop nutrition education programs for food stamp recipients;
D.
recommend nutrition programs, public education programs and campaigns on health,
nutrition and ideal weight maintenance for all state institutions and public schools, colleges
and universities;
E.
consult with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine to ensure that its nutrition
curricula train medical students in basic nutrition and how to prevent and treat nutritional
diseases;
F.
recommend the development and implementation of nutrition and food safety programs;
G.
advise agencies on areas of concern such as the health effects of food additives, the
incidence of diabetes on Indian pueblos and reservations, the effects of food-induced
hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders in children, obesity in all age groups, and other
areas deemed important;
H.
make recommendations on ways to improve nutrition in New Mexico;
I.
assist in developing educational materials on nutrition and on toxic or potentially toxic
additives to foods;
J.
advise PED on development of nutrition courses that are grade specific and use texts in the
field of nutrition, preventive cardiology, preventive oncology and preventive toxicology for
New Mexico secondary school students;
K.
develop a student nutrition questionnaire to be used to build a statewide nutrition database;
L.
review the quality of public school lunch programs and make recommendations to the PED;
M.
hire an executive director and other employees as necessary to carry out the provisions of
the Nutrition Council Act, and
N.
defines duties of director to include reporting requirements; and recommendations regarding
appropriate labeling due to carcinogens, neurotoxins or other deleterious compounds in
foods, food additives or food processes.
The bill also appropriates $250 thousand from the general fund to the Nutrition Council,
administratively attached to DOH, for staff, equipment, furnishings and other expenses to
implement the Nutrition Council Act.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $250 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general
fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the
general fund.
SB 217 is not included in the DOH Executive Budget Request for FY08.
There will be additional costs to DOH to administer the Council; and to Agencies determined by
the implementation of any recommendations made by the Nutrition Council.
pg_0003
House Bill 392 – Page
3
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
DOH reports the Nutrition Council will address the need for a coordinated effort to promote a
culture of healthier food choices at home, in schools, at worksites and in communities, and can
serve as an example of how the public and private sectors can work together to improve the
health of New Mexicans.
DOH notes the bill mandates the development of a nutrition database for students. Current
sources of nutrition data for youth in New Mexico include the Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey
for high school students, administered through the PED in collaboration with the DOH and the
Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) Nutrition Program database on children birth to five
years. The bill mandates that the Council advise state departments on obesity and diabetes and
review the school lunch program. Currently, DOH administers obesity and diabetes prevention
and control programs with professional staff trained in nutrition and physical activity.
DOH further notes that the act mandates the Council develop a nutrition questionnaire for
students. Decisions regarding data collection should be guided by epidemiological expertise to
develop appropriate tools and interpret the data. The validity and reliability of nutrition questions
and self-reported height and weight on questionnaires have not been established for students
younger than high school age.
PED reports the department currently has the authority and responsibility for quality of public
school lunch programs. Reviewers ensure that schools are using standardized recipes. Nutritional
analysis is performed on menus. Over a week’s time the lunch menus must meet ¼ of the RDAs
for protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and 30% or lower of total calories from fat and
10% or less from saturated fat. PED is in the process of adopting rules in both nutrition and
wellness for local school districts, which align with the requirements in this bill. PED will be
providing technical assistance to schools in the development, implementation, monitoring and
evaluating these rules.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
DOH states that the aims of the bill have a reference in the DOH Strategic Plan: Program Area 1
- Public Health Objective 5: Reduce child and adolescent obesity and diabetes in all populations.
PED notes that this bill could positively impact performance measures that relate to the
governor’s obesity prevention initiative. Obesity prevention initiatives, school attendance and
graduation rates enhance student performance by helping to increase the number of students
performing at grade level in math and reading as nutrition is positively linked to academic
performance
ADMINISTRATIVE
DOH will need additional staff to administer the council effectively.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Section 2 of the bill states that federal authorities have not intended to preempt the areas of
nutrition addressed in the Nutrition Council Act. The AGO asserts that any additional food
pg_0004
House Bill 392 – Page
4
labeling requirements will have to be analyzed in light of the preemption provisions of the
Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. Section 343-1.
ALTERNATIVES
DOH suggests that, instead of conducting a separate nutrition survey, additional nutrition
questions could be included in the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey and the Youth Risk and
Resiliency Survey.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
Concerned New Mexico citizens or citizen groups will continue to be welcome to petition the
Environmental Improvement Board to enact new food safety regulations or to change existing
regulations.
AMENDMENTS
DOH recommends on page 2, line 25, (f) delete the word, “licensed" and replace with the words
“public health".
AHO/csd