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

SPONSOR Harrison

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-10-06

2/11/06 HB 781

SHORT TITLE MCKINLEY COUNTY CYFD JUVENILE CENTER SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$100.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to

HB63, SB125, SC1044, HC167

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

NM Health Policy Commission (NMHPC)

Department of Health (DOH

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 781 appropriates $100.0 from the general fund to Children, Youth and Families De-

partment for the purpose of operating a juvenile substance abuse crisis center in McKinley

County.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2007 shall revert to the general

fund.

House Bill 781 – Page

2

This appropriation is not part of the CYFD budget request and is not included in the Executive

recommendation for CYFD.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The bill does not specify the type of substance abuse treatment or program model intended for

the appropriation. However, the Governor has requested that the San Juan County model for

treatment of adult DWI offenders be replicated in pilot counties across the state, including

McKinley County. The San Juan Model is a 28-day in-patient treatment center that provides a

court-ordered alternative to jail time for DWI offenders that have either an alcohol or substance

abuse dependency. The Safer New Mexico Performance and Accountability Contract lists as its

number one goal to “Reduce Death and Injury due to DWI in New Mexico” with activities under

Task 1.1 of exploring the possibility of duplicating the San Juan County model in other counties.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, McKinley County had the

highest composite index of alcohol-related problems of all 3,106 counties in the United States in

1998. Gallup, in McKinley County, nationally known for its struggles with alcohol-related prob-

lems, has been described as a “drunk town” due to an abundance of liquor outlets, few restric-

tions on the sale and use of alcohol, and alcohol morbidity and mortality rates far above the na-

tional average. (

www.cnetco.com

)

The rate of alcohol-related traffic accidents is seven times higher and the rate of deaths from al-

cohol-related causes is four times higher in McKinley County than the national average. Forty

percent of all deaths in McKinley County are alcohol related. (

www.rwjf.org

)

Alcohol and substance abuse are increasingly becoming problematic in the juvenile population in

McKinley County. According to a 1997 study of 14,400 students of the Gallup-McKinley

County School District conducted by the Department of Health, nearly 50% had consumed an

alcoholic beverage in the past month; nearly one-third used marijuana. (

www.schoolgrants.org

)

Due to its location on Interstate 40, there has been an increase in gang activity in McKinley

County as members of the infamous Los Angeles gangs, the Bloods and the Crips, have begun

recruitment in the county. The increase in gang activity, violence and drug abuse has prompted

the increased concern of the Juvenile Probation and Parole Office that sees that the region is un-

prepared, referring even kindergarten students to the local police agencies.

(

www.schoolgrants.org

)

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The Safer New Mexico Performance and Accountability Contract Task 7.3 is to “Provide effec-

tive treatment for substance abuse” and includes increasing harm reduction efforts and expanding

services under primary activities. From July, 2005 through December, 2005 McKinley County

had 149 referrals to the Juvenile Probation and Parole office for drug and alcohol related of-

fenses, comprising nearly 49% of all referrals from the county in that time.

House Bill 781 – Page

3

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD will absorb any additional administrative impact associated with passage of the bill.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

HC167 MCKINLEY CO JUVENILE SUBSTANCE ABUSE CTR VEHICLES

SC1044 MCKINLEY CO JUVENILE DETENTION FCLTY.

One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to plan, design, and construct a juvenile detention fa-

cility in McKinley County

HB63 REGIONAL JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAMS

TECHNICAL ISSUES

House Bill 2 contains a recurring $40.0 for a McKinley County Juvenile Center.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Behavioral Health Collaborative is charged with coordinating all substance abuse and men-

tal health treatment services statewide through a contract with Value Options New Mexico

(VONM).

McKinley County had the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths, the highest DWI arrest rate, the

highest alcohol-involved automobile crash rate, the second highest youth marijuana use rates and

the highest youth cocaine use among all New Mexico counties according to the 2004 New Mex-

ico Social Indicator Report.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Stigma; linguistic, ethnic, and cultural differences; rural location and cost may continue to be

barriers to McKinley County juveniles who might otherwise be helped to manage their substance

abuse crisis. The need for prevention programs and treatment services targeted on the juveniles

of McKinley County will continue to be substantial; there are currently insufficient counselors to

provide adequate counseling and education programs. Further, there are few outside intervention

or treatment services available for McKinley County youth. Additional financial resources will

be required to effectively combat substance abuse among McKinley County juveniles.

DL/mt