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

SPONSOR Gonzales

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/30/06

HB 347

SHORT TITLE Taos County Alcohol & Substance Abuse Program SB

ANALYST Lewis

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

82.6

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 347 appropriates $82,600 from the general fund to the Department of Health to con-

tract for alcohol and substance abuse treatment services in Talpa in Taos county, to include cur-

riculum materials and professional and administrative services.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $82,600 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the Department of Health (DOH), Talpa is a residential community of approxi-

mately 800 people in Taos County, located about five miles south of the town of Taos. DOH

notes that 43 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Taos County involved alcohol (Office

of New Mexico Vital Records and Health Statistics, 2003).

House Bill 347 – Page

2

According to the Health Policy Commission (HPC), Taos County is one of the five counties in

New Mexico that is a federally-designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area. In 2002

Taos County ranked ninth in New Mexico in alcohol and drug related death rates.

HB347 is not part of the DOH executive budget request.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

DOH notes that all behavioral health resources are currently being administered through a single

behavioral health entity (Value Options). The resources would be allocated through this contract.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) notes that untreated or inadequately treated sub-

stance abusers are likely at some point to run afoul of the law. This occurrence increases the risk

to the community and perpetuates chronic re-entry into the criminal justice system.

ML/mt