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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Grubesic
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/27/06
2/2/06 HB
SHORT TITLE Santa Fe County Inmate Reimbursement
SB 411
ANALYST Peery
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY06
FY07
$1,644.4
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD)
New Mexico Sentencing Commission (NMSC)
Attorney General’s Office (AGO)
NM Association of Counties (NMAC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 411 appropriates $1,644.4 from the general fund to the State Board of Finance for the
purpose of reimbursing Santa Fe county for the cost of housing individuals charged with or con-
victed of a violation of state law who:
have violated parole or are charged with a parole violation;
while on parole, are charged with a violation of local, state, tribal, federal or international
law;
are awaiting transportation and commitment to the Corrections Department following the
pronouncement of a judgment, sentence or an order of confinement;
are charged with a violation of probation by the Corrections Department or by a district
court;
are sentenced, ordered or removed by the district court to incarceration in a county detention
facility for a felony conviction; or
are incarcerated on the basis of an arrest-and-hold order on a warrant issued by the Correc-
tions Department.
pg_0002
Senate Bill 411 – Page 2
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $1,644.4 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.
Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert
to the general fund.
NMSC states the rate of reimbursement established in the bill is the actual cost per day for hous-
ing each prisoner incarcerated in that county’s detention facility. NMSC reports the State Board
of Finance would also reimburse the county the cost of providing ancillary services to prisoners.
These ancillary services are medical, prescription drug, dental, mental health, vision, ambulatory
and transportation.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
NMSC conducted a study for the New Mexico Association of Counties to provide a count of in-
dividuals held on felony charges in six detention facilities in New Mexico on June 30, 2003 and
estimate the annual cost of housing four categories of felony arrestees throughout the state.
NMSC updated the cost estimates based on arrestees held on June 30, 2005.
NMSC reports that the legislature could modify the definition of “state prisoner” to include
fewer or more inmates. NMSC states the definition of “state prisoner” will control whether costs
continue to be borne by the counties or are passed to the state.
The AGO reports the proposed legislation does not address the issue of how much a county can
bill the State Board of Finance for housing an individual for a day.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
NMCD reports there would me minimal to moderate administrative burden placed on the de-
partment due to providing certain information, such as the names of individuals on probation and
parole who have an arrest and hold order placed on them, to the State Board of Finance to help
the board verify the incarceration costs for purposes of reimbursing the county.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
The proposed legislation has a relationship to House Bill 414, House Bill 426, House Bill 516,
House Bill 587, House Bill 564, House Bill 563, House Bill 498, House Bill 264, Senate Bill
308, Senate Bill 546, Senate Bill 532 and Senate Bill 419.
ALTERNATIVES
In the 2004 legislative session, the Legislature gave counties increased taxing authority of a new
1/16
th
of countywide general purpose authority, and expanded 1/8
th
countywide for maintaining
and constructing detention facilities as well as extraditing and transporting state prisoners. The
New Mexico Association of Counties reports 18 counties have enacted this new authority and
others are considering an increase in their local taxes to meet the escalating cost of housing pris-
oners.
RLP/mt