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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Campos
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
02/02/06
HB
SHORT TITLE Create Jobs for Disabled Veterans
SB 514
ANALYST Geisler
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY06
FY07
$350.0
Non-Rec
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates: HB 513
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department of Veterans’ Services
Governor’s Commission on Disability
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 514 appropriates $350,000 from the general fund in FY07 to the Veterans’ Services
Department to contract with a disability employment program to create jobs for disabled veterans
and other persons with disabilities.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
Veterans’ Services does not anticipate any fiscal impact and will manage the contract within ex-
isting resources.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The federal Veterans Administration offers vocational training for disabled veterans, however,
they do not do job placement or job creation. This bill would assist disabled veterans by creating
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Senate Bill 514 – Page
2
an avenue for these veterans to find employment. The DVS has the ability to identify and assist
these disabled veterans and put them in touch with a wider network of employers.
People with significant disabilities have an unemployment rate of 70%. Those with moderate
disabilities have a 35% unemployment rate. With the overall unemployment rate for New Mex-
ico at around 5%, this group is under represented in the job market.
By providing funding, SB 514 will help implement HB 498 State Use Act for Persons With Dis-
abilities passed during the 2005 session. That bill creates a council for purchasing from persons
with disabilities that will determine program policies, set fair market pricing for services that can
be provided to the state by groups such as community rehabilitation programs, and insure fair
treatment to disabled individuals. The council will approve a central non-profit agency to carry
out day-to-day operations.
In addition, the funding provided by this bill will help service disabled veteran small businesses
(SDVOSB) utilize the federal procurement set aside created for SDVOSBs by the Federal Veter-
ans Benefit Act of 2003
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
DVS states that its field service officers would not see a significant increase in workload since
their function is to assist veterans.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
SB 514 is duplicated by HB 513.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
Veterans and individuals with disabilities will continue to have extra barriers from being em-
ployed and being fully functional members of society.
GG/nt