Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance

committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports

if they are used for other purposes.

Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).

Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and

attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

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

SPONSOR Miera

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/23/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE NM Highlands Health Interpreters Training

SB 262

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$185.2

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

Department of Health (DOH)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 262 appropriates $185,200 from the General Fund to the Regents of New Mexico

Highlands University (NMHU) for expenditure in FY 2008 to establish a pilot training center for

medical-health interpreters.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $185,200 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the

General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Federal Health and Human Services Department through the National Office of Minority

Health produced the 14 Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards for

Senate Bill 262 – Page

2

health care organizations in 2001. The CLAS Standards mandate culturally appropriate health

care and services for clients who are not Linguistically English Proficient, and organizational

support for incorporating the CLAS Standards for health care provided to non-English speaking

patients/clients (DOH).

In recognition of this need, the DOH, in 2006, began providing bilingual medical interpreter

training including sections on cultural competence to direct service staff and community-based

providers in both Spanish and Navajo languages. In 2007, DOH will add an additional Spanish

language contractor to train 75 additional DOH staff and direct service staff of other health care

organizations.

This request was not on the list of priority projects submitted by NMHU to the Higher Education

Department for review and was not included in the Department’s funding recommendation for

FY08.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP

Senate Bill 262 (NM Highlands Health Interpreters Training) and HB 67 (NM Highlands

Medical-Health Interpreters) are nearly identical, but duplicates.

ALTERNATIVES

HED Analysis of HB 67

Higher education institutions receive indirect cost revenues from federal

contracts and grants. This money is unrestricted in the sense that the governing

board of the institution has the flexibility to choose which projects are

supported with these funds. A great deal of this money is used as seed money

to develop new research and public services projects at institutions. A portion

of the indirect cost revenue, or earned overhead, is used to support items such

as the salaries of the accountants responsible for monitoring the contracts and

grants, or for paying utilities and other expenses required to maintain the space

where the contract and grant activities are housed.

The higher education funding formula allows institutions to retain 100% of this

indirect cost revenue. One of the purposes of retaining these funds is to provide

seed money and matching funds for projects such as the one proposed in this

bill.

BM/nt