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

SPONSOR Fidel

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-3-06

2-9-06 HB

SHORT TITLE Soil and Water District Official Insurance

SB 613/aSCORC

ANALYST Hadwiger

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

As amended, duplicates HB540 as amended.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)

General Services Department (GSD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SCORC Amendment

The SCORC amendment to Senate Bill 613 allows appointed as well as elected supervisors of

soil and water conservation districts to participate in state group insurance programs if they pay

one hundred percent of the cost of the insurance.

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Bill 613 would allow elected supervisors of soil and water conservation districts and their

dependents to participate in state group insurance programs if they pay one hundred percent of

the cost of the insurance.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

GSD noted that Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) employees and their covered de-

pendents currently participate in the State of New Mexico Group Health Plan. The addition of

elected supervisors will have minimal impact on the overall Group Health claims cost. Any im-

pact will be offset by the additional premiums paid for by the population.

Senate Bill 613/aSCORC – Page 2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

NMDA was concerned that the word “elected” on page 2 line 2 might exclude appointed super-

visors pursuant to Section 73-20-38 NMSA 1978. NMDA noted that SWCD boards are made up

of five elected supervisor positions at the least. Many SWCD boards have an additional two ap-

pointed supervisor positions at the request of the district or at the pleasure of the soil and water

conservation commission. Elected positions which become vacant are filled by appointment of

the local SWCD board. There are currently forty-seven soil and water conservation districts in

the state. The SCORC amendment addresses this concern.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

GSD did not anticipate difficulty implementing this bill.

DH/yr:mt