Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance

committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports

if they are used for other purposes.

Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).

Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and

attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

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

SPONSOR Mary Helen Garcia

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-12-06

HM 49

SHORT TITLE Border Water and Wastewater Needs Study

SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

NFI

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of House Memorial 49

House Memorial 49 requests the New Mexico Legislative Council Service to direct the appropri-

ate legislative interim committee to conduct a study of the essential water and wastewater infra-

structure needs of communities along the international border and to recommend an amount and

a source of funding to meet those needs.

Specifically the memorial notes that:

•

incorporated and unincorporated communities along the international border

with Mexico are among the fastest growing communities in New Mexico

and also are among the poorest; and

•

the rapid growth of the communities has led to an increased need for ade-

quate water and wastewater infrastructure; and

•

the growth has also posed a challenge to administrators who continually

strive to provide sufficient and affordable housing, utilities and other public

services; and

•

the federal environmental protection agency has lowered maximum arsenic

containment levels for drinking water, and these levels cannot be met by

many of the existing water systems without a substantial expenditure; and

House Memorial 49 – Page

2

•

the rapid growth of the communities and the income levels of the residents

mean that the communities do not have the tax base to provide even a mini-

mum acceptable level of water and wastewater infrastructure;

The memorial resolves the following:

•

that the New Mexico legislative council be requested to direct the appropri-

ate legislative interim committee to conduct a study of the essential water

and wastewater infrastructure needs of incorporated and unincorporated

communities along the international border with Mexico; and

•

that the interim committee recommend the amount of funding that will be

necessary to meet those essential needs and a source for that funding; and

•

that the interim committee report its findings and recommendations to the

first session of the forty-eighth legislature.

The legislation further resolves that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the co-chairs of the

New Mexico legislative council.

There is no appropriation attached to this legislation.

BW/nt