SENATE BILL 734

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005

INTRODUCED BY

Leonard Tsosie

AN ACT

RELATING TO EMERGENCY SERVICES; CREATING COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE INDIAN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND A TRIBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE; CREATING A PILOT PROJECT; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     Section 1. DEPARTMENT PARTNERSHIP WITH TRIBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSTITUTE.--The Indian affairs department shall identify the most appropriate New Mexico-based tribal telecommunications institute dedicated to improving telecommunications services to tribal communities and establish a partnership with that institute to develop plans to deliver basic, emergency and advanced telecommunications services to unserved and underserved tribal communities within the state. The plans are intended to address the emergency medical, security, educational and economic needs of isolated or underserved Native American communities.

     Section 2. TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLANS--PILOT PROJECT.--The Indian affairs department shall hire or provide grants to the institute identified in Section 1 of this act to:

          A. identify unserved and underserved tribal communities in the state, identifying and prioritizing the most needy communities;

          B. collaborate with telecommunications companies on the design of the most affordable, technologically advanced and best suited telecommunications networks and systems for specific tribal communities;

          C. collaborate with Indian nations, tribes, pueblos and tribal communities on the best suited telecommunications networks and systems for those communities;

          D. in collaboration with one or more telecommunications companies, design and implement:

                (1) a pilot project for the delivery of basic, emergency and advanced telecommunications services to the Rincon Marquez-Whitehorse Lake area and Torreon-Pueblo Pintado area of the Navajo Nation as a demonstration of the benefits of such collaboration between the department and the institute;

                (2) other telecommunications pilot projects where necessary to demonstrate the use of new approaches to the delivery of telecommunications services; and

                (3) telecommunications systems that serve specific needs in specific communities;

          E. oversee the progress made by the institute in the development of designs and plans for telecommunications services to tribal communities, and ensure that the institute collaborates with tribal governments and tribal communities to address the telecommunications needs of those communities;

          F. report to the legislature the results of such collaboration between the department and the institute; and

          G. provide to all tribal governments in the state reports on the development of all telecommunications plans as designed by the institute.

     Section 3. APPROPRIATION.--Four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the Indian affairs department for expenditure in fiscal year 2006 for the purposes set forth in Section 2 of this act. No less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) of this appropriation shall be used for telecommunications systems to serve the tribal communities described in Subsection D of Section 2 of this act. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2006 shall revert to the general fund.

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