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

SPONSOR Pinto

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/19/06

HB

SHORT TITLE WOMEN & FAMILIES ADVOCACY SERVICES SB 7

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$40.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

SUMMARY

Senate Bill 7 appropriates $40 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs Department

for the purpose of providing legal advocacy and counseling services for women and families who

have low incomes or are subjects of domestic violence in New Mexico communities of the

Navajo nation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $40 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY07 shall revert to the

general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Indian Affairs Department contributed the following:

The prevalence and incidence of violence against Indian women is high when compared to other

races. To reduce violent crimes against women, some tribes have established domestic violence

and victim services programs. However, there is still a great need for culturally sensitive support

and services for Indian women and their children. The Shiprock domestic violence shelter

addresses the needs of women

Senate Bill 7 – Page

2

and children who are victims of domestic violence living in the Four Corners area of New

Mexico. The shelter provides safety, shelter, advocacy, education, networking, and referrals for

victims and their children.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, American Indians are the victims of violent crimes

at more than twice the rate of all U.S. residents.

1

Further, this disparity in the rates of exposure

to violence affecting American Indians occurs across age groups, housing locations, and by

gender.

There are a few Federal programs such as the Violence Against Indian Women Discretionary

Grant Program (STOP VAIW Program) that provide grants to Indian tribal governments to

develop and implement effective strategies to reduce the rates of domestic violence against

women in their respective tribal communities. Federal grant funds are usually limited and

insufficient to address the tribal priority of reducing domestic violence. Crime victimization rates

in the American Indian community are significantly higher than in the general U.S. population.

As a result of these high rates of violence, American Indian women are at high risk of homicide,

including domestic violence. (College of Emergency Physicians Report in 1995). Homicide is

the 3rd leading cause of death for Native women. Of Native American women murdered, over

75% were killed by a family member, an acquaintance, or someone they knew. (Homicide and

Suicide Among Native American 1979-1992.).

A 1999 study by the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics reports:

The frequency of battering in Indian Country is believed to be much higher than the national

norm. American Indians, in general, experience per capita rates of violence that are more than

twice those of the resident population. American Indian women experience the highest rate of

violence of any group in the United States, nearly 50% higher than that reported by black males.

American Indian women stand a high risk of losing their children in instances of physical and

sexual abuse.

Three-fourths of American Indian women have experienced some type of sexual assault in their

lives.

Violence against American Indians is committed by persons not of the same race- a substantially

higher rate of interracial violence than experienced by white or black victims. 75% of the

intimate victimizations and 25% of the family victimizations involved an offender of a different

race. Indian victims of intimate and family violence are more likely than others to be injured and

need hospital care.

Other facts include:

1.

The life expectancy of Native women in the US is 47 years.

2.

47% of all women will be raped in their lifetime.

3.

50% of all women will be battered by their spouse/partner.

4.

40% of women in prison for felonies are there because they killed an abusive

partner/spouse.

5.

Women of color are 64% of the female prison population and serve longer sentences for

the same crime as do white women or men of c

olor.

Senate Bill 7 – Page

3

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The bill does not define low income or what entity will determine eligibility and may need

clarification on these points.

MW/mt