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

SPONSOR Wirth

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/2/08

HB 430

SHORT TITLE Child and Teen Self-Defense Program

SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$50.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Public Education Department (PED)

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 430 appropriates fifty thousand ($50,000) from the general fund to Children, Youth

and Families Department (CYFD) for expenditure in FY09 to contract with an organization for a

program that teaches experiential, adrenaline-based, full-contact personal self-defense skills to

children and teens, including wheelchair users and children who are sight- or hearing- impaired.

The program shall use role-playing scenarios that recreate the types of challenges that children

and teenagers are likely to encounter, including bullying, teasing, peer pressure, social cruelty,

relationships and unwelcome attention.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of fifty thousand ($50,000) contained 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.

House Bill 430 – Page

2

The appropriation in this bill is not part of the CYFD request or executive recommendation.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Nationwide statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation states that one in every

three American women will be sexually assaulted at some point in her lifetime. According to the

Bureau of Criminal Justice's Uniform Crime Reports, in 2001 New Mexico had the 4th highest

per capita incidence of sexual assault in the country and 9 out of 10 rape victims are women

(Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network). The average victim in New Mexico is between 16-

24 years of age and over 50% of all rape cases reported to police are children under the age of

18. (

http://www.impactpersonalsafety.org/teach.html

)

Bullying, social peer pressures and relationships are issues children and teens face in their lives:

•

Bullying: 19% bullied others "sometimes" or more often

•

9% bullied others weekly

•

17% were bullied “sometimes" or more often

•

8% were bullied weekly

•

6% reported bullying and being bullied “sometimes" or more often (Nansel, 2001).

Children who are bullied have:

•

Lower self esteem

•

Higher rates of depression

•

Higher absenteeism rates

•

More suicidal ideation

•

More health issues (sleeping problems, headaches, anxiety) (Olweus, 1993).

Programs provided in schools during school hours will need to be in compliance with the New

Mexico Health Education Standards, in NM Standards for Excellence NMAC 6.30.2 and the

Anti-Bullying Policy NMAC 6.12.7. (New Mexico Public Education Department, ND).

Adrenaline–based self defense is a relatively new concept that describes the importance of

adrenaline in a person’s response to an attack. The effect of an adrenaline surge depends on

many different things. Sometimes one has no warning that something is about to happen until

they are suddenly startled by a surprise attack or other unexpected event. When startled in this

way, it is natural to momentarily freeze, jump, flinch or run. The first response normally

happens without the effect of adrenaline because it takes a second or two for the adrenaline surge

to hit. During those first pre-adrenaline seconds, one may or may not move. People’s initial

reaction is normally based on how circumstances interact with their personality and their built-in

tendency to react a certain way under stress, without adrenaline. Once adrenaline kicks in, it will

likely reinforce the initial response (Harrison, D., 2005).

The adrenaline rush is often talked about as a “fight or flight" mechanism in the human body,

and the examples used in Dr. Harrison’s webpage and in others discuss being mugged, sexually

attacked or some other form of severe attack.

References:

Harrison, David, 2005. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from

www.kidpowervancouver.com

.

Nansel et al., 2001. National sample of 15,600 students in grades 6-10. US Department of

Health and Human Services,

www.stopbullyingnow.hhrsa.gov

.

House Bill 430 – Page

3

New Mexico Public Education Department. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from

http://www.ped.state.nm.us/div/sipds/health/index.html

.

Olweus, 1993. Victimization by peers: Antecedents and long-term outcomes. In K. H. Rubin

& J. B. Asendorf (Eds.), Social withdrawal, inhibition, and shyness

(pp. 315-341).

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD and PED do not have performance measures related to self-defense skills training;

however, this bill could have a positive impact on the resiliency factors for New Mexico’s youth

by linking students with community involvement and self-defense training.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

Contract administration would be provided from existing CYFD resources.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

None identified.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

It is unclear if the sponsor of the bill wishes to prioritize at-risk children and teens through use of

CYFD as the recipient of the appropriation. Other than child care and pre-kindergarten, CYFD’s

clientele typically are typically at-risk.

HB 430 does not indicate if a specific area of the state is to be targeted or if these funds are

intended to start a statewide program. Due to the number of students in our state, $50 thousand

will not reach every student.

The target populations for HB 430 include children and teens, as well as children and teens in

wheelchairs and with sight and/or hearing impairments. Children and teens with mobility and

hearing impairments might require a specialized program that was adapted to support special-

needs students. CYFD would have to partner with possibly with the Governor’s Commission on

Disability to identify children and teens with impairments listed in the bill.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

Research supports children learning in an interactive and hands-on way, with a success based

and comprehensive approach. Personal safety programs that teach skills through practice and

role-plays show that children who practice themselves were more effective at learning the skills

(Wurtele, S.K., et al, (1987) Practice Makes Perfect. The Role of Participant Modeling in Sexual

Abuse Prevention Programs. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.)

Physical fights among youth often precede many violence-related injuries and fatalities. In 2005,

35.9% of U.S. high schools students reported being in a physical fight, 13.6% at school. (Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention. 2006, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, 2006). In 2005,

9.2% of U.S. high school students had been hit, slapped or physically hurt, intentionally, by a

boyfriend or girlfriend on one or more occasions, furthermore, in 2005, 6.0% of U.S. high

House Bill 430 – Page

4

schools students reported missing school because of feeling unsafe at school or while going to

and from school. (CDC, 2006).

In New Mexico, more than one-third (36.7%), of students reported being in a physical fight

within 30 days preceding the youth risk and resiliency survey (YRRS). (NM Youth Risk and

Resiliency Survey, 2005). Physical fighting at school was reported by 15.6 percent of students in

2005 and was more prevalent among boys (19.0%) than girls (11.6%). The prevalence of both

physical fighting and physical fighting at school were higher in New Mexico than in any other

state participating in the 2005 YRRS.

Approximately 10% of students reported that they had been threatened on school property with a

weapon such as a gun, knife or club (YRRS, 2005). Skipping school because of safety concerns

was reported by 8.6 percent of students, which was the second highest rate among all the YRBS

states (NM YRRS, 2005).

Programs focused on developing youth resilience and protective factors help the process of

overcoming the negative effects of risk exposure, coping successfully with traumatic

experiences, and avoiding the negative trajectories associated with risks (Adolescent Resilience:

A Framework for Understanding Health Development in the Face of Risk, 2005). Programs that

incorporate opportunities for youth to develop interpersonal competence, caring, self-esteem,

sense of personal power and positive view of personal future, empower youth and to a great

extent help them to take responsibility for their own growth.

(

http://missoulaforum.org/downloads/PosYouthDev.pdf

)

ALTERNATIVES

None identified.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Status Quo.

DL/nt