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

SPONSOR Papen

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/23/08

01/25/08 HB

SHORT TITLE NMSU Health, Food Safety and Biosecurity Center SB 25/aSEC

ANALYST Escudero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$640.0.

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB26.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

No Response Received From

New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)

The Governor’s Office (GOV)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SEC Amendment

The Senate Education Committee Amendment inserts “Large Animal" into the title and body of

the Act.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Amendment clarifies that large animals will be included.

Synopsis of Original Bill

NMSU Food Products Testing Center appropriates $640.0.0 from the general fund to the Board

of Regents of New Mexico State University.

Senate Bill 25/aSEC – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $640.0contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

According to HED, this request was submitted by New Mexico State University to the New

Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED) for review, but is not included in the

Departments funding recommendation for FY09.

The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC

classifies this project as a “would not oppose if funding available" project. Reasons for this

classification decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education Department

Review of Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table 4, p76.)

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

HED states that New Mexico State University (NMSU) is home to a number of decentralized

food and animal laboratories. The current laboratory structure limits the ability for labs to

collaborate. In partnership with the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, NMSU seeks to

centralize a large number of the existing laboratories into the Southwest Center for Health, Food

Safety and Biosecurity. By bringing the majority of food and animal labs under one roof NMSU

and NMDA plan to tighten efficiency and collaboration by leveraging lab capacity.

In addition to centralizing the existing food and animal laboratories a new Chemical Testing

Laboratory for horse and dog racing is to be created. All racing animal blood samples are

currently sent out of state for testing. The New Mexico Racing Commission has requested that a

more efficient and affordable system for testing race animals be created. NMSU and NMDA

have responded by creating a Memorandum of Understanding with the New Mexico Racing

Commission to implement the Chemical Testing Laboratory within the Southwest Center for

Health, Food Safety and Biosecurity.

RELATIONSHIP

Relationship to SB26; however there is a $10.0 difference in the appropriation for Food

Processing and Product Development. SB26 appropriation request is for $650.0.

PME/bb:nt