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

SPONSOR:	Leavell		DATE TYPED:	01/25/02		HB
SHORT TITLE:		Law Enforcement Training Reimbursement				SB	141
					ANALYST:		Belmares

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY02

FY03

FY02

FY03

$450.0

Significant - See Narrative Below

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

REVENUE

Estimated Revenue

Subsequent

Years Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY02

FY03

$450.0

See Narrative below

Recurring

Law Enforcement Basic Training Reimbursement Fund (created under SB141)

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 141 establishes that DPS may reimburse $3.0 to a municipal or county law enforcement agency when one of the agency’s officers successfully completes the qualifications for certification set forth in Section 29-7-6 NMSA 1978 at a certified regional law enforcement training facility. SB 141 also appropriates $450.0 from the general fund to the Law Enforcement Basic Training Reimbursement und (created under SB141) for expenditure in FY03.

Significant Issues

DPS indicates that law enforcement agency executives interpret the Law Enforcement Training Act (Sections 29-7-1 through 29-7-13 NMSA 1978) to mean that it is the State’s responsibility to provide the costs of basic law enforcement training, regardless of where the officer is trained. Every year, nearly 50 percent of the law enforcement officers in New Mexico receive their basic training at satellite academies at no direct cost to DPS. DPS asserts that its Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy only has a budget to train the remaining 50 percent and that budget appropriations to help defray the costs of satellite academy operations were eliminated approximately eight years ago.

DPS indicates it can support SB 141 in its present form.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The specific appropriation of $450.0 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the general fund; however, HB 141 provides that the Director of the Training and Recruiting Division of DPS shall request that necessary funds be appropriated to the law enforcement basic training reimbursement fund (created under SB141) beginning in FY04. The requirements of HB 141 would create a recurring, yet variable, impact on the general fund.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

SB 141 would affect the DPS strategic plan performance measures relating to satellite academy compliance with standards and the number of officers trained. However, SB141 would not affect any of the performance measures in the current version of the General Appropriation Act.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1. Is it more cost effective to train officers in satellite academies when compared to training officers at the DPS academy?

EB/ar