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

SPONSOR Lovejoy

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/16/08

HB

SHORT TITLE Tribal Emergency Management Services

SB 15

ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$450.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 15 appropriates $450 thousand from the General Fund to the Indian Affairs

Department for expenditure in FY09 to provide funding for tribal emergency management

services.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $450 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General

Fund. SB 15 appropriates $150 thousand to the 10 southern Indian pueblos, $150 thousand to the

eight northern pueblos, $75 thousand to the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and $75 thousand to the

Mescalero Apache Tribe. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of

FY09 shall revert to the General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The DOH reports that there is currently no dedicated General Fund support for emergency

management services for the 22 Native American Tribes in New Mexico. DOH has been

Senate Bill 15 – Page

2

collaborating with the 22 tribes to conduct health emergency preparedness activities with support

from a small amount of federal funding. The tribes are working toward addressing gaps

identified in a 2007 preparedness assessment.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The Navajo Nation is not included in the list of Native American Tribes receiving funding for

emergency services through this bill.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

Establishing mutual aid agreements with sovereign tribes and developing statewide unified

response plans will help secure the health and safety of tribal members and non-tribal members

in surrounding communities during individual and public health emergencies.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

How was the distribution of funds to each of the tribes identified in the bill determined.

AHO/jp