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

SPONSOR Beffort

DATE TYPED 2/17/05

HB

SHORT TITLE Adult Probation and Parole Officer Raises

SB 771

ANALYST Peery

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$2,028.0

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Response Received From

New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD)

No Response

State Personnel (SP)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

State Bill 771 appropriates $2,028,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico Corrections

Department for the purpose of providing a salary increase of two dollars ninety-three cents

($2.93) per hour for classified service adult probation and parole officers.

Significant Issues

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

NMCD reports a raise would probably increase the morale and productivity of probation and pa-

role officers.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $2,028,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Senate Bill 771 -- Page 2

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2006 shall revert

to the general fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMCD states the administrative impact to the Department will be positive in that the appropria-

tion will probably improve the Department’s ability to recruit and retain probation and parole

officers.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to Senate Bill 770 and Senate Bill 798, each appropriates $1,200,000 to NMCD to hire

an additional 24 full-time adult probation and parole officers. Duplicates Senate Bill 797.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The House Appropriation and Finance Committee adopted the executive recommendation that

includes $466,000 to increase probation and parole officers starting salary from $13.07 to $14.00

an hour. To address compaction, the recommendation adds a factor of three quarters of one per-

cent of the current salary per employee for every year the employee has been in the current clas-

sification. This increase is subject to passage from the full House of Representatives and the

Senate.

NMCD reports probation and parole officers have not received any raises in recent years, do not

benefit from a 20 year retirement program as do correctional officers, and are significantly un-

derpaid when compared to federal and Bernalillo County probation and parole officers. NMCD

states federal and Bernalillo County probation and parole officers currently make five to seven

dollars more per hour than Department probation and parole officers. NMCD reports the va-

cancy rate for probation and parole officers has recently been as high as 34 percent.

NMCD reports caseloads for probation and parole officers continue to increase, and are currently

between 90-134 offenders per officer. NMCD’s 2

nd

quarter key quarterly performance measure

for “number of regular caseloads of probation and parole officers” was 100. Their FY05 target

for this performance measure is 77. The national standard is only 65 offenders per officer. Ac-

cording to the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau statistics, New Mexico’s probation and parole

population growth in percent increase ranked number one in the nation from 1995-2002. NMCD

states based on current projections, it appears that the number of probation and parole clients will

increase by 12 percent by June 30, 2005.

RLP/lg:yr