0001|                           SENATE BILL 364
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          NANCY E. RODRIGUEZ
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE; AMENDING THE INDIGENT HOSPITAL
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0012|     AND COUNTY HEALTH CARE ACT TO DELAY THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
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0013|     TRANSFERS OF CERTAIN BALANCES TO COUNTY-SUPPORTED MEDICAID
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0014|     FUNDS FROM COUNTY INDIGENT HOSPITAL CLAIMS FUNDS.
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0015|     
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0016|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0017|          Section 1.  Section 27-5-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1965,
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0018|     Chapter 234, Section 7, as amended) is amended to read:
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0019|          "27-5-7.  COUNTY INDIGENT HOSPITAL CLAIMS FUND.--
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0020|               A.  There is created in the county treasury of each
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0021|     county a "county indigent hospital claims fund".
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0022|               B.  Collections under the levy made pursuant to the
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0023|     Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act and all payments
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0024|     shall be placed into the fund, and the amount placed in the
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0025|     fund shall be budgeted and expended only for the purposes
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<center>- 1 -</center>

0001|     specified in the Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act,
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0002|     by warrant upon vouchers approved by a majority of the board
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0003|     and signed by the chairman of the board.  Payments for
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0004|     indigent hospitalizations shall not be made from any other
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0005|     county fund.
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0006|               C.  The fund shall be audited in the manner that
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0007|     other state and county funds are audited, and all records of
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0008|     payments and verified statements of qualification upon which
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0009|     payments were made from the fund shall be open to the public.
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0010|               D.  Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of
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0011|     the fiscal year pursuant to Subsection F of this section shall
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0012|     carry over into the ensuing year, and that balance shall be
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0013|     taken into consideration in the determination of the ensuing
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0014|     year's budget and certification of need for purposes of making
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0015|     a tax levy.
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0016|               E.  Money may be transferred to the fund from other
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0017|     sources, but no transfers may be made from the fund for any
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0018|     purpose other than those specified in the Indigent Hospital
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0019|     and County Health Care Act.
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0020|               F.  On June 30 of each fiscal year, beginning in
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0021|     <s>[1998]</s> <u>2000</u>, the board shall transfer to the county-
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0022|     supported medicaid fund that amount of the balance in the
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0023|     county indigent hospital claims fund that exceeds two hundred
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0024|     thousand dollars ($200,000) or that exceeds the amount equal
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0025|     to thirty percent of the income to the fund during that fiscal
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<center>- 2 -</center>

0001|     year, whichever is greater. <s>[Beginning in 1998, the transfer
</s>    |
<s></s>0002| <s>    shall be made by September 1 of each fiscal year.]</s>  Any
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0003|     amount transferred to the county-supported medicaid fund
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0004|     pursuant to this subsection is in addition to the county's
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0005|     obligation pursuant to Section 27-10-4 NMSA 1978."
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0006|                              
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