HOUSE BILL 569

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Helen Garcia

FOR THE ECONOMIC AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

AN ACT

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PLACE ECONOMIC DEMOGRAPHERS IN THE STATE'S PLANNING DISTRICTS TO PIONEER THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PREDICTIVE MODEL TO FORECAST THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC FUTURES OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

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

     Section 1. APPROPRIATION.--

          A. Four hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the economic development department for expenditure in fiscal year 2010 to work in conjunction with the department of environment and the workforce solutions, public education and tourism departments to provide for economic demographers for the state's planning districts to pioneer the development of a predictive model to forecast the demographic and economic futures of local communities to be placed in each of the following areas:

                (1) in the eastern plains, to cover Curry, De Baca, Guadalupe, Harding, Quay, Roosevelt and Union counties;

                (2) in the central mid-region, to cover Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties and some portions of Santa Fe county;

                (3) in the north central region, to serve Colfax, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel and Taos counties and some parts of Sandoval and Santa Fe counties;

                (4) in the northwest area, to serve Cibola, McKinley and San Juan counties;

                (5) in the south central area, to serve Sierra, Socorro and Dona Ana counties;

                (6) in the southeastern region, to serve Chaves, Eddy, Lea, Lincoln and Otero counties; and

                (7) in the southwest, to serve Catron, Grant, Hidalgo and Luna counties.

          B. The economic development department may retain up to ten percent of the appropriation for administrative costs associated with the demographers and shall report to the economic and rural development committee on the demographers' progress by November 2009.

          C. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2010 shall revert to the general fund.