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

SPONSOR Madalena

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-14-2007

HB 1128

SHORT TITLE Native American Veterans Outreach Services

SB

ANALYST Dearing

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$30.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Veterans’ Services Department (VSD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 1128 appropriates $30 thousand from the general fund for expenditure in FY08 to

Veterans’ Services department for a veterans’ outreach program for Native Americans in the Rio

Grande corridor, including the nineteen pueblos.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $30 thousand contained in House Bill 1128 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

According to the New Mexico Veterans’ Services Department, there are more than 180,000

veterans in New Mexico, of which 15,000 are Native American.

House Bill 1128 – Page

2

Federal and state veterans service officers cite cultural/language differences, and the rural

vicinity of tribal communities as barriers for effective Native American veteran outreach

effectiveness. Department outreach consists of registering New Mexico veterans and their

families for state benefits and assisting veterans with claims for federal Veteran Administration

compensation, pension, education, medical care, and death benefits.

In the 2005 legislative session Senate Bill 190 appropriated fifty thousand dollars ($50,000;

$47,500 after sanding) to establish an outreach program to assist Native American veterans to

obtain information and file for state and federal benefits offered to veterans residing on tribal

lands. The funding has since been considered a recurring program and the department received

$50 thousand in FY06 and has budget that amount in FY07. The FY08 executive

recommendation includes $50 thousand as well. House Bill 1128 carries a provision stipulating

Native American veterans’ in the Rio Grande corridor; it is unknown whether these veterans

were eligible under the Senate Bill 190 funding.

The department’s outreach effort discovered that, Native Americans are under represented

regarding applying for State and federal VA benefits and services." In FY 2006, the department

conducted nine Native American veteran conferences on tribal lands reaching approximately

1,600 Native American veterans and their families.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The department has several performance measures which would be positively impacted with the

appropriation in House Bill 1128. Specifically, the department has measures regarding % NM

veterans impacted by department programs and # of veterans served by field officers.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The Veterans’ Services department would be the fiscal agent for the appropriation in House Bill

1128.

PD/mt