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

SPONSOR Garcia, M. P.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/3/06

HB 761

SHORT TITLE Bernalillo Drug Prevention and Enforcement

SB

ANALYST Peery

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$35.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)

No Response Received From

NM Association of Counties

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 761 appropriates $35.0 from the general fund to the Department of Public Safety for

drug prevention and enforcement in the south valley of Bernalillo County.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $35.0 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

DPS reports the State Police division is currently 71 officers short of its allotted strength. DPS

states many of these positions are being absorbed within the Narcotics Bureau. DPS reports it

would be very difficult to initiate a new initiative within Bernalillo County at this time. DPS

House Bill 761 – Page

2

states because of the resources currently available within Bernalillo County and the lack of re-

sources in the surrounding counties, the State Police Albuquerque office is focusing its enforce-

ment efforts in Valencia, Sandoval and Torrance county areas.

OTHER SUPSTANTIVE ISSUES

AOC states untreated and inadequately treated substance abusers are likely at some point to run

afoul of the law. AOC states these occurrences increase the risk to the community and perpetu-

ates chronic re-entry into the criminal justice system.

ALTERNATIVES

DPS states an alternative to the proposed legislation would be to provide the appropriation to the

Local Government Division of the Department of Finance and Administration to be used by the

Albuquerque Police Department or the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department.

RLP/yr