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

SPONSOR:	Taylor, JP		DATE TYPED:	03/11/03		HB	HJM 108
SHORT TITLE:		Office of Cultural Affairs Reorganization				SB
					ANALYST:		Gonzales

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
	None		See Narrative

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to HB853

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Office of Cultural Affairs

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Joint Memorial 108 requests the Legislative Council appoint a committee of three house members and three senate members to work with the Office of Cultural Affairs and the Governor’s Office on reorganization plans for the office. This memorial further requests that the committee present its recommendations, including draft legislation to the Legislative Council by December 1, 2003.

Significant Issues

As indicated by the Office of Cultural Affairs, the organizational structure of the Office of Cultural Affairs has been considered and studied numerous times since the agency’s creation in 1980. During the past 23 years the agency has seen enormous growth in museum facilities and programs. The OCA has evolved into a diverse department of State-run museums and historic monuments, as well as library, arts and historic preservation programs and services. The agency’s Museum of New Mexico division – just one of eight divisions – is itself complex with four major museum facilities, six monuments, the Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico Press, and Statewide Programs and Education. The agency has eight advisory boards and commissions with varying – oftentimes inconsistent – duties and responsibilities as outlined in statute. In addition, the hiring and review process for the agency’s exempt-status division directors has inconsistencies when compared in statute, and relating to the stated duties and responsibilities of agency director and advisory boards.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Specific costs would be dependent upon the nature and scope of reorganization of the agency.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

Agency and division-level staff time would be necessary to research, meet, and plan for reorganization.

RELATIONSHIP

This memorial relates to House Bill 853, Reorganization of Agencies by Executive Order, which allows the Governor to make certain state agencies, including the Office of Cultural Affairs, cabinet level departments.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Office of Cultural Affairs notes that as the agency approaches cabinet level status, it would be an appropriate time to restudy the structure and statutes affecting the agency, and to recommend a reorganization if appropriate. A major issue within this possible restructure is the elevation of the four State-run museums in Santa Fe – that are currently a part of the Museum of New Mexico division – to parity with the agency’s other museums. This division level status for the Santa Fe museums would then result in division director status for their directors and the possible creation of advisory boards for each museum. This parity of division level status has also been proposed for two other units of the Museum of New Mexico – State Monuments and the Office of Archaeological Studies.

JMG/yr