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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR
Trujillo
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/6/07
2/10/07 HB 815
SHORT TITLE
Court-Appointed Special Advocates Program
SB
ANALYST C.Sanchez
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$64.0
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates,
SB 605
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)
Bernalillo Metropolitan Court (BMC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 815 appropriates $64,000 from the general fund to the administrative office of the
courts for FY08 to fund the court-appointed special advocates programs statewide. Any
unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 08 shall revert to the
general fund.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The LFC recommendation currently includes $139,974 ($31,974 is the three percent increase to
the Special Court Services program, and $108,000 is additional LFC money).
The additional $64,000 from HB 815 would bring the total amount of new general fund for
CASA to $203,974. All of New Mexico’s programs would benefit (except the Second Judicial
District Court, where the CASA program is a unit of the Children’s Court budget).
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House Bill 815 – Page
2
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The LFC recommendation currently includes $139,974 for the Special Court Services Program.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
The courts are participating in performance-based budgeting. It is unknown if enactment of this
bill would impact performance measures as they relate to judicial budgeting.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
HB 815 would complete the funding of the Network’s original request for CASA. Statewide,
CASA requested $203,976 in new general fund for FY08. That appropriation would bring all 16
programs to their proper funding step, as well as increase the steps for the first time in ten years.
DUPLICATES
SB 605
ALTERNATIVES
Adopt LFC recommendation
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
Status quo.
CS/nt