SENATE MEMORIAL 97

54th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2019

INTRODUCED BY

Pete Campos

A MEMORIAL

ENCOURAGING A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO ADDRESS ISSUES CAUSING AND STEMMING FROM PANHANDLING NEAR LAS VEGAS BUSINESSES.

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico behavioral health institute at Las Vegas, New Mexico, is the only publicly funded psychiatric hospital in New Mexico and serves adults from throughout the state; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico behavioral health institute provides adult psychiatric services to approximately one thousand patients per year; and

     WHEREAS, planning for discharge and after-care of each patient begins at the time of admission but, at times, community resources may not exist in the patient's community of origin; and

     WHEREAS, hundreds of patients without a safety net are discharged into the Las Vegas area every year and often become housed in unregulated boarding homes; and

     WHEREAS, some of these discharged patients, who are without a job or source of income, turn to soliciting funds near local businesses; and

     WHEREAS, this practice can be disruptive to these businesses; and

     WHEREAS, the city of Las Vegas does not have an ordinance prohibiting panhandling; and

     WHEREAS, other municipalities, such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe, have experienced legal issues pertaining to enforcement of their panhandling ordinances; and

     WHEREAS, issues addressing the root causes of panhandling and the effects of panhandling on businesses are ongoing and should be identified and addressed; and

     WHEREAS, the boarding homes that house many panhandlers might serve as a helpful resource to individuals in need and be best suited to work with individuals who may be unaware of, or not have access to, alternatives to panhandling; and

     WHEREAS, a dialogue among the New Mexico behavioral health institute, boarding home owners and managers, local business owners, the city of Las Vegas, San Miguel county and Las Vegas residents who panhandle would be helpful in searching for solutions to mitigate the need for panhandling and to identify other alternatives; and

     WHEREAS, such a dialogue could prove useful in helping to address the issue of panhandling in other areas of the state;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that representatives of the New Mexico behavioral health institute, boarding home owners and managers, business owners, the city of Las Vegas, San Miguel county and Las Vegas residents who panhandle be encouraged to identify root causes of and solutions for panhandling in Las Vegas; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the executive director of the New Mexico behavioral health institute, Las Vegas boarding home owners, the mayor of the city of Las Vegas, commissioners of San Miguel county and the president of the Las Vegas-San Miguel chamber of commerce.

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