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

SPONSOR Grubesic

DATE TYPED 2-28-05

HB

SHORT TITLE Statewide Youth Violence Prevention Programs

SB 867

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$710.0

Recurring General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to the appropriation for Eastern New Mexico University in the General Appropriations

Act.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Public Education Department (PED)

Department of Health (DOH)

No Response Received From

Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 867 – Making an Appropriation for Youth Violence Prevention Programs Statewide;

Declaring an Emergency – appropriates $710,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents

of Eastern New Mexico University for expenditure in FYs 05 and 06 to support the continuation

and expansion of youth violence prevention programs statewide. Any unexpended or unencum-

bered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the general fund. This legislation car-

ries emergency language.

Significant Issues

DOH indicates that New Mexico has some of the highest rates of youth violence in the country,

according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2002, New Mexico had the

Senate Bill 867 -- Page 2

worst state rates of violent deaths and suicides for all ages. Suicide and homicide were the sec-

ond and third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds in New Mexico. One-third of all injury

deaths in New Mexico were violence-related. Firearms were responsible for 50 percent of all

New Mexico homicides and 60 percent of all New Mexico suicides. According to the New Mex-

ico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, in New Mexico high schools, one in ten students have

been threatened or injured with a weapon at school in 2003 and 12 percent reported being the

victim of dating violence. One-third of high school students also reported being in a physical

fight – 13 percent of which occurred at school.

Violent acts such as suicide and homicide are often preceded by a long history bullying, fighting,

victimization or witnessing of violence. These patterns of violence may even start at very early

ages. Research-based best practices in violence prevention suggest that a full range of violence

prevention programs, including early childhood interventions, have been effective in reducing

youth violence.

PED notes that Eastern New Mexico University currently houses the state headquarters for the

Family, Careers and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), which deploys a successful

peer-to-peer anti-violence program called STOP (Students Taking On Prevention) the Violence.

New Mexico FCCLA was selected as one of 10 pilot states to implement this program and has

successfully worked in 30 school districts and communities. Additional funding would allow the

program to reach the remaining 59 school districts and communities in the state. STOP the Vio-

lence is a peer-to-peer outreach initiative that empowers young people to recognize, report and

reduce the potential for youth violence.

The goals of STOP the Violence are to:

•

Empower and engage students

•

Use peer education to increase youth awareness

•

Reduce the potential for youth violence in schools

STOP the Violence Local Action Projects are student-created, student-led efforts that:

•

Change attitudes

•

Teach skills

•

Connect youths to resources

Additionally, topics such as domestic violence indicators/prevention, bullying and positive inter-

actions are also covered.

This program was not included in the CHE’s 2005-2006 Higher Education Funding Recommen-

dation.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

DOH notes that the legislation is consistent with the department’s strategic plan, program area 1:

Prevention and Disease Control – Public Health Division, Strategic Direction: Improve the

Health of New Mexicans. Objective 4: Prevent youth suicide.

Senate Bill 867 -- Page 3

Performance Measures:

•

Number of suicides statewide for ages <15.

•

Statewide suicide rate for ages 10-19/100,000.

•

Statewide suicide rate for ages 20-24/100,000.

Process Measures:

•

Number of school students screened and referred for suicide or contributing factors

such as depression or alcohol abuse.

•

Number of mental health visits to DOH-funded school-based health centers.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $710,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall revert to the gen-

eral fund. This legislation carries emergency language.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The Eastern Mew Mexico University will retain oversight of this initiative.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for Eastern Mew Mexico University in the General Appropriations

Act.

CYFD suggests that the governor’s gang platform addresses the issue of youth violence preven-

tion and that this legislation potentially duplicates services proposed for development in the gov-

ernor’s plan. Further, that the bill does not specify components or outcomes for youth violence

prevention programs.

SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

As background, DOH indicates that schools have a significant role to play in the reduction of

youth violence. According to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, boys and

girls who feel connected to their schools and have a higher grade point average are less likely to

be involved in violent behavior.

1

Conversely, youth who skip school, have learning problems

and repeat a grade are more likely to be involved in violence. Thus programs that support school

connectedness and address truancy, school failure and learning problems can have a positive ef-

fect on violence in schools. Generally, schools approach violence prevention on a continuum

from programs that focus on prevention of violent behavior before it starts to effective manage-

ment of violent situations, which may reduce the likelihood that they occur again. According to

Virginia’s Best Practices in School-Based Violence Prevention some of the most common ap-

proaches to school-based violence prevention are: social development programs and curricula,

1

http://www.allaboutkids.umn.edu

Senate Bill 867 -- Page 4

classroom and school climate approaches, conflict resolution/negotiation training, mediation,

discipline programs and policies and school security systems.

While no prevention program can immediately stop all violence, some successful prevention

programs in New Mexico have garnered significant financial savings for the state. In Luna

County, a collaborative effort to provide a continuum of prevention and juvenile justice services

produced the following results:

•

an 85 percent reduction in long-term commitments to New Mexico state juvenile

detention facilities - saving $8.5 million in cumulative costs;

•

a 56 percent reduction in juvenile petitions filed - saving $5.4 million to all partici-

pants and agencies; and

•

a 63 percent reduction in total juvenile delinquent offenses – saving $4.6 million in

cumulative costs to victims, law enforcement, and local and state agencies.

Further, PED offers the following observations regarding youth violence and intimidation:

2

•

43 percent of high school and 37 percent of middle school boys believe it’s OK to

hit or threaten a person who makes them angry.

•

Students are less likely to be victims of violent crimes at school than away from

school – but many still feel unsafe at school.

•

About 50 percent of the respondents in a nationwide survey of students blame mov-

ies, video games, the Internet and TV for promoting violence among their peers.

•

75 percent of children have been subject to bullying while at school, yet 49 percent

of parents did not recognize bullying as a problem.

•

Most of the time, violence is not planned in advance. Most violence starts with an

argument over something “small” and can escalate into an assault and, in extreme

cases, even murder.

•

Youth violence grows out of conflicts over unmet needs for belonging, power,

freedom and fun; limited resources (time, money and property); difficulties accept-

ing differences (beliefs, priorities and principles).

•

160,000 students miss school every day because they fear being bullied.

•

One in four teenage girls becomes involved in physically or sexually abusive rela-

tionships.

BFW/yr

2

Data sources include: Youth Violence: Lessons from the Experts, U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser-

vices, Public Health Service; Conflict Resolution in Education, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and 1999 MTV Fight for Your Rights.