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

SPONSOR Altamirano

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/6/06

HB

SHORT TITLE Spanish Colonial Horse Celebration

SB 218

ANALYST Hoffmann

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$100.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

No Duplicates.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 218 appropriates $100,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Highlands University for the purpose of informing, motivating and inspiring the youth of

New Mexico by promoting the Spanish colonial horse as part of the Albuquerque Tri-centennial

celebrations.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100,000 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.

Senate Bill 218 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This proposal was not submitted to the Higher Education Department through research, public

service, and special program requests by New Mexico Highlands University. This request was

not included in the Department’s funding recommendation for FY07. It was also not included in

the LFC’s appropriation recommendations.

According to the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Spanish Colonial Horse, imported by Span-

ish conquistadores, had major impact on conquest, culture and economics in the Southwest, and

on Native American culture and warfare. The introduction of the horse, at times, changed the

power structure among Native Americans. The Spanish Colonial Horse is a current breed and

traces lineage back to the Spanish conquistadores’ horses. This horse appears to be extinct in

Spain and very few exist still in the United States.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

According to the Conquistador Magazine, the World of Spanish Horses, the breed is called the

Colonial Spanish Horse and is most often referred to as the “Spanish Mustang.”

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Department of Cultural Affairs provided the following information.

“Museums across New Mexico, the Southwest and the Plains point to the impact of the

horse on these regions in their exhibits. An example of such a museum in New Mexico is

the Hubbard Museum of the American West (formerly the Museum of the Horse) in Rui-

doso Downs, where it would make sense to feature exhibits on the Spanish Colonial

Horse.

The bill does not identify who will “inform, motivate and inspire the youth of New Mex-

ico” nor how. Additionally, there is no detail on how New Mexico Highlands University,

the Spanish Colonial Horse and the Albuquerque Tricentennial Celebration fit together.

We are not certain if any New Mexico organization exists that promotes this breed.”

CH/nt