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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Lopez
DATE TYPED 2/10/05
HB
SHORT TITLE Domestic Abuse Shelters and Child Services
SB 325
ANALYST Dunbar
APPROPRIATION
Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY05
FY06
FY05
FY06
$3,000.0
Recurring General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates HB 497
Relates to HB 334; HB 343; HB 440
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD)
Department of Health (DOH)
Health Policy Commission (HPC)
Department of Public Defender (DPD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 325 appropriates $3 million from the General Fund to the Children, Youth and Fami-
lies Department (CYFD) for expenditure in FY 05 and FY06 to contract with a statewide domes-
tic violence coalition to provide needed improvements to shelters and services for children who
are victims of domestic violence. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the
end of FY06 would revert to the General Fund.
SB 325 contains an emergency clause.
pg_0002
Senate Bill 325 -- Page 2
Significant Issues
This appropriation is directed to a domestic violence coalition through CYFD. The coalition
would be responsible for establishing contracts with individual service providers statewide.
CYFD currently allocates funding and provides contract monitoring to domestic violence pro-
grams statewide. This bill shifts this responsibility to a single coalition for the contained appro-
priation. CYFD will still be required to conduct a competitive bid for the $3,000,000 and moni-
tor the contract with the coalition awarded the bid. As per the procurement code, any contract
over twenty thousand must be let through the competitive procurement process. Allocating
funds in this manner may not make funding available to domestic violence programs that are not
members of the organization or coalition that secures the contract.
PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS
This bill would allow for increased program and service capacity statewide allowing a greater
number of victims of domestic violence to be served.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $3 million 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.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
Duplicates HB 497
Relates to:
HB 334 which would designate two million dollars to CYFD to improve domestic
violence programs and centers beginning in FY 06 with no prescribed recipient of the
funding;
HB 343 which proposes to appropriate $100,000 from the General Fund to the New
Mexico Department of Health (DOH) to support a shelter for victims of domestic vio-
lence in Shiprock, including providing increased staffing;
HB 440 which would enact a new section of the Family Violence Protection Act to
require medical personnel to document domestic abuse of a person, to provide infor-
mation and referral to services, and treat all related communications and information
as confidential.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
CYFD suggests allocating the funding to department and have it distributed through the normal
procurement process, available to all domestic violence providers in the state.
pg_0003
Senate Bill 325 -- Page 3
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
Domestic violence (including but not limited to intimate partner violence) is a serious public
health problem in New Mexico. Incidents of domestic violence often go unreported to law en-
forcement due to failure of family, friends or neighbors to report.
Data available from the “Incidence and Nature of Domestic Violence in New Mexico: An Analy-
sis of 2001-2003 Data from the New Mexico Interpersonal Violence Data Central Repository”
indicates that in 2003 the incidence of Domestic Violence almost doubled the amount of inci-
dents recorded in 2002.
New Mexico Interpersonal Data Central Repository also reports that 7, 985 survivors sought help
from domestic violence service provider agencies in 2003. This represents a 9% increase in the
last 3 years. Services provided by domestic violence programs include emergency shelter, food,
clothing, crisis call response, counseling, treatment, orders of protection and support groups.
More children than ever (5,757) received services from provider agencies in 2003, representing a
37% increase in the last three years.
The Domestic Violence Trend Analysis created by the New Mexico Interpersonal Data Central
Repository, states that 7, 985 survivors sought help from domestic violence service provider
agencies in 2003. This represents a 9% increase in the last 3 years. Just over half (55%) of these
survivors said they reported the incident to law enforcement.
Nationally, battered mothers indicated that their children witnessed the abuse 87% of the time.
The report in New Mexico stated 3,381 children were present at the scene of the domestic vio-
lence cases reported by law enforcement, and almost three-quarters (71%) of children who wit-
nessed domestic violence incidents were not yet adolescents (12 years and under). Children
whose parents abuse each other are more likely to eventually become victims and/or perpetrators
of abuse. Childhood exposure to domestic violence is associated with difficulties with behavior,
emotional health, schoolwork and delinquency. Effects on such childhood exposures last into
adulthood and include alcoholism, drug abuse, mental health problems, smoking and general
poor health.
ALTERNATIVES
CYFD suggests allocating the funding to department and have it distributed through the normal
procurement process, available to all domestic violence providers in the state. This funding
stream may result in duplication of services.
BD/lg