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

SPONSOR Picraux

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/2/06

HB 485

SHORT TITLE UNM Children’s Law Center Training & Info

SB

ANALYST Hoffmann

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Higher Education Department (HED)

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 485 appropriates $250,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the Uni-

versity of New Mexico to increase funding for the Corinne Wolfe Children’s Law Center. The

funding would support training, technical assistance, research assistance and information dis-

semination in the areas of child abuse, child neglect and juvenile justice.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250,000 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.

House Bill 485 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Funding for the Corinne Wolfe Children’s Law Center was included as a line-item in the Higher

Education Department’s budget request. The amount of the request for fiscal year 2007 is

$65,500.

According to the UNM Law School’s Institute of Public Law (IPL), the Corinne Wolfe Chil-

dren's Law Center at the institute has conducted training for parents' attorneys in civil abuse and

neglect cases and launched an update of the New Mexico Child Welfare Handbook. Because of

groundwork it laid, New Mexico is about to become one of the first states where attorneys will

be certified in child welfare law.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

According to the Higher Education Department, the $250,000 request would support delivery of

the comprehensive training services needed by community constituents. The appropriation would

be used for staff salaries/travel (for staff attorney; training event coordinator; publication special-

ist; webmaster; administrative personnel), conference facilities, speakers/trainers, training mate-

rials, and library/electronic resources.

CH/mt