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

SPONSOR Gonzales

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/31/07

HB 674

SHORT TITLE Northern NM School Drug Prevention Program

SB

ANALYST Propst

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates SB 631

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 674 appropriates $250.0 in General Fund to the Local Government Division of the

Department of Finance and Administration to support a boys and girls after-school and in-school

drug abuse prevention program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250.0 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.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

House Bill 674 supports funding for a boys and girls after school program in four Taos County

school districts; Questa, Taos, Taos Pueblo, and Peñasco which includes Picuris Pueblo. It also

House Bill 674 – Page

2

supports an in-school curriculum for drug abuse prevention in the elementary schools of each

community. The after school program provides a safe place for students to continue their

educational and career development, to learn health and life skills including character and

leadership development and have adult supervision while their parents are still at work.

The in-school drug prevention program is based on a nationally used curriculum that uses self-

confidence and inner core level training and does not use scare tactics. The program requires

both pre and post testing and it is taught throughout a full semester. The program is endorsed by

the Department of Justice and the local district attorney's office.

DFA and DOH report that the youth in Taos County need positive alternative to crime, gangs,

drugs and alcohol abuse. After school and evenings are critical times when youth need a safe

place to go and meet friends and have a choice of positive activities in which to participate. Per

capita, the crime rate in Taos is twice the crime rate of the City of Albuquerque.

DOH reports that there is significant evidence that after-school programs can improve school

performance and reduce use of substances, including tobacco. Youth ages 10-16 who have a

relationship with a mentor, an important component of a quality after-school program, are 46

percent less likely to start using drugs and 27 percent less likely to start drinking alcohol. After-

school programs can provide youth with positive and healthy alternatives to drug, alcohol and

tobacco use, criminal activity, and other high-risk behaviors during the peak crime hours after

school.

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/afterschool/2potential.html

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

DFA notes that although the staff at the Local Government Division of the Department of

Finance and Administration would be able to administer this appropriation, it may be better

managed through CYFD.

DUPLICATES

Duplicates SB 631

WEP/csd