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Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are available on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).  Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not.  Previously issued FIRs and attachments may also be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

 

 

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

 

 

 

SPONSOR

Zanetti

DATE TYPED

2/07/04

HB

223a/HCPAC

 

SHORT TITLE

Native American domestic Violence Shelters

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST

Weber

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY04

FY05

FY04

FY05

 

$300.0

 

 

Recurring

General Fund

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

Relates to SB 157

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

 

Responses Received From

Department of Indian Affairs

Department of Health

 

SUMMARY

 

      Synopsis of House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee Amendment

 

On page 1, line 18, after “2005” strike “to”.

 

Synopsis of Original Bill

 

House Bill 223 appropriates $300 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs Department to contract for domestic violence shelter services for Native American women and Children in Albuquerque.

 

Significant Issues

 

The Department of Indian Affairs reports:

 

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the American Indian and Alaska Native population was 22,047, or 4.9% of Albuquerque’s total population.  Specifically, the 2000 U.S. Census showed that Albuquerque ranked 7th in the nation for largest American Indian and Alaska Native population.  Approximately one-half of the Native American population is female. 

 

According to a 1993 report by the U.S. Census, only 6 in 10 American Indian couples were married compared to the nation’s 8 in 10.  The proportion of American Indian families maintained by a female householder without a husband was also considerably larger than the national figure of 17%.  According to a report by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, the rate of crime victimization experienced by Indian women is 50% higher than that reported by black females. 

 

New Mexico’s urban Indian population has limited access to quality health care and social services programs.  This includes services provided to women and children by domestic violence shelters.  In general, Native American communities have higher incidences of domestic violence because of high unemployment rates, high poverty rates, substance and drug abuse, and other factors.  Indian women who move to the urban areas for better economic or educational opportunities live far from their families who would usually assist them in these types of situation.  In the cities, Native American women have very few places to go for help.  Even if some services do exist, the services may not be culturally appropriate or specialized to Indian women and children. 

 

The Department of Health contributes similar information:

 

Domestic violence, including intimate partner violence, is one of the most serious public health problems in New Mexico.  The frequency of battering in Indian Country is believed to be much higher than the national norm.  American Indians, in general, experience per capita rates of violence that are more than twice those of the general population (1999 study by the US Dept of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics).  As a result of these high rates of violence, American Indian women are at high risk of homicide including domestic violence (College of Emergency Physicians Report in 1995).  For the years 1999-2001 homicide was the fourth leading cause of death for New Mexico American Indian women ages 15-44.  (2001 New Mexico Selected Health Statistics, New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, New Mexico Department of Health, 2003).

 

Data available from the “Incidence and Nature of Domestic Violence in New Mexico:  An Analysis of 2002 Data from the New Mexico Interpersonal Violence Data Central Repository” indicates that in 2002 there were 17,397 victims of domestic violence who were identified from 24,905 law enforcement incident reports.  Incident reports were analyzed for 93 of 130 law enforcement agencies across the state.  Of the 7,481 law enforcement reports that accurately identified victim ethnicity, 21% (1,562) were Native American.  There were 16,659 new clients served during 2002 and the ethnicity of adult victims was identified in 7,691 reports.  Of the 29 domestic violence service programs that submitted data, Native Americans victims were 2% (163) of the victims that received services.

 

In the “New Mexico PRAMS Surveillance Report, Year 2000 Births”, during pregnancy partner abuse was more likely among women who were Native American than non-Hispanic white women.  According to the Repository report, 3,381 children were present at the scene of the domestic violence cases reported by law enforcement, and almost three-quarters (71%) of children who witnessed domestic violence incidents were not yet adolescents (12 years and under).

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

The appropriation of $300 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of Fiscal Year 2003 shall revert to the general fund.

 

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

 

The Department of Indian Affairs does not provide direct domestic abuse or shelter services.  Consideration may be given to directing re funds to the Human Services Department or Children, Youth and Families that are currently contracting for such services or providing them directly.

 

 MW/yr