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

SPONSOR Tsosie

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/2/2006

HB

SHORT TITLE NMSU Tribal Extension Program

SB 266

ANALYST Earp

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$1,250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to House Bill 102

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 266 appropriates $1,250,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico State University to expand the tribal extension program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $1,250,000 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.

Information provided by NMSU indicated that the Tribal Extension Initiative calls for the even-

tual addition of 35 to 40 FTE Extension faculty and staff at a total investment of $3.05 million.

Senate Bill 266 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This proposal was submitted to the Higher Education Department (HED) by NMSU as a compo-

nent of the university’s “K-12 Outreach Initiative” which was ranked #1 out of 9 requests for

special program expansion. The level of funding requested by NMSU was $250,000. However,

this request was not included in HED’s fiscal year 2007 funding recommendations to the Legis-

lature.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Service would bear administrative responsibility for implement-

ing the proposed Tribal Extension program.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

This bill is related to House Bill 102 which would appropriate $1,000,000 for this initiative.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The long-term goal of the New Mexico Cooperative Tribal Extension Program initiative is to

plan for the establishment of 8 regional tribal extension centers in New Mexico. Once estab-

lished, these centers, tribal cooperative extension programs, and services will be made available

to all 22 tribal communities. The goals of the program are as follows:

•

To initiate and execute the New Mexico Tribal Cooperative Extension Programs.

•

To strengthen the relationship with the federal and state cooperative extension service

units, the 22 American Indian tribes in New Mexico, and other American Indian and non-

Indian organizations.

•

To produce a five-year New Mexico Tribal Cooperative Extension strategic plan of work

that prioritizes community based initiatives.

•

To establish Tribal Cooperative Extension centers on tribal reservations and schools in

New Mexico.

•

To develop and implement the four major cooperative extension program areas of (1) Ag-

riculture and Natural Resource Management, (2) 4-H Youth and Youth Leadership de-

velopment, (3) Community Resource, Economic Development, and Leadership Devel-

opment, and (4) strengthening Family, Health, Nutrition and Resource Management in

tribal communities.

•

To develop a funding mechanism that will guarantee continued support from federal,

state, and tribal funds using a matching formula system.

•

To develop and implement an American Indian Cooperative Extension Education and

Training Program that offers college level credit courses in selected areas.

A coalition of entities support The Tribal Extension Task Force, including Memorandums of

Understanding from Tribal Colleges, Institute of American Indian Arts, Southwestern Indian

Polytechnic Institute, Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Northern New Mexico College, New

Mexico School for the Deaf, Santa Fe Indian School, The Commission on Indian Affairs, De-

partment of Indian Affairs. All 22 tribes have offered letters of support and offered office space

for the Tribal Extension Program.

DKE/nt