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

SPONSOR Smith

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/26/06

HB

SHORT TITLE Dept. of Agriculture Programs & Services

SB 153

ANALYST Earp

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$1,400.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates House Bill 133

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 153 appropriates $1,400,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico State University for the expansion of programs and services at the New Mexico Depart-

ment of Agriculture.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $1,400,000 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.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

New Mexico State University submitted a $2.6 million agricultural initiative as priority #4 of 9

Senate Bill 153 – Page

2

research and public service expansion requests to the Higher Education Department (HED).

However, HED has not included this proposal among its fiscal year 2007 funding recommenda-

tions.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMDA would administer the funding proposed in this legislation. No significant additional im-

pact is evident.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

House Bill 133 and Senate Bill 153 are duplicate measures.

This bill relates to the recurring operational funding provided annually for NMDA in the General

Appropriation Act. The fiscal year 2006 appropriation for NMDA was approximately $8.7 mil-

lion.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

According to information provided by HED, NMDA is seeking funding to address unmet opera-

tional needs in several areas, including the following:

•

Wildlife Services Monitoring ($100.0). Additional funding is requested to support the coop-

erative program providing services for predator and rodent pest control.

•

Two Laboratory Professionals ($239.4). Funding is requested for the Veterinary Diagnostic

Services laboratory to maintain accreditation and keep up with increasing case load.

•

Inflationary Costs ($100.0). Funding is requested to cover inflationary increases in fuel and

travel costs.

•

Information Technologist Specialist ($95.0). Funding is requested to provide development of

new applications and technology to allow for electronic submission processes for inspection,

licensing, and permitting activities.

•

Renewable Energy Resources ($50.0). Funding is requested to provide leadership in renew-

able energy by conducting bio-diesel demonstrations and feasibility studies.

•

Marketing Specialist ($95.0). Funding is requested to provide assistance with the develop-

ment of domestic, national, and international markets and address commodity groups and

food service concerns.

•

International Institute for Collaborative Solutions ($41.0). Funding is requested to develop

facilitation and training programs for natural resource issues, rural economic development

activities, and international trade opportunities.

•

Five Regulatory Specialists ($412.6). Funding is requested for five regulatory specialists:

o

dairy inspection and sampling

o

petroleum inspection

o

consumer services inspection including scale, package, price verification, and egg

inspections

o

Feed, seed, and fertilizer inspections

o

Pest and plant inspection, survey, and mitigation programs

DE/nt