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SPONSOR: |
Pinto |
DATE TYPED: |
2/13/03 |
HB |
|
||
SHORT TITLE: |
San Juan and McKinley Emergency Services |
SB |
481 |
||||
|
ANALYST: |
Weber |
|||||
APPROPRIATION
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
||
FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
|
|
|
$600.0 |
|
|
Recurring |
General
Fund |
(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Responses Received From
Office of Indian Affairs
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 481
appropriates $600,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Indian Affairs to
contract with the Navajo Nation for the provision of emergency services in San
Juan and McKinley counties.
Significant Issues
The
Office of Indian Affairs reports the funds would be used to contract with the Department of
Emergency Services, Navajo Nation to coordinate and mobilize emergency services
for Navajo Nation Chapters in San Juan and McKinley counties. Other Navajo Chapters that would be served
are Alamo Chapter (Socorro County), Caņoncito (Bernalillo County), Grants
(Cibola County), Counselor Chapter (Rio Arriba County) and Counselor Chapter,
Ojo Encino, Torreon, Counselor, and Pueblo Pintado Chapters (Sandoval County).
The funds would be used
to administer police, fire, and ambulance services. The department is composed
of six employees. Funding would also
assist disaster victims with emergency shelter, food, clothing and water, and
referrals to Human Services, and to other organizations that provide
relief.
While the first priority
of the Department of Emergency Management Services of the Navajo Nation is
human disaster victims, assistance may also be offered to livestock. The
Department delivered feed and water for livestock impacted by the recent
drought.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of
$600.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund. Any
unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of Fiscal Year 2004 shall
revert to the General Fund.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE
ISSUES
Emergency services usually fall under the
purview of agencies such as the Department of Public Safety, the Energy,
Minerals and Natural Resources Department, or the Department of Military
Affairs. Emergency funds, authorized by an executive order that declares a
state of emergency, are utilized by these agencies when necessary. While the
Office of Indian Affairs indicated the use of the funds, the bill itself is
unclear as to the exact intended purpose or definition of an emergency.
MW/yr:sb