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

SPONSOR T. Garcia

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1-22-07

2-27-07 HB 212/aHCPAC/aHENRC

SHORT TITLE Governor’s Game and Fish Authorizations

SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

none

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

REVENUE (dollars in thousands)

Estimated Revenue

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

FY09

25.0-50.0

25.0-50.0

Recurring Game Protection

Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates SB87

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Game and Fish (DGF)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HENRC Amendment

House Energy and Natural Resources Committee amendment to HB212 (as amended) amends

the legislation to reflect the following language:

1. Strike House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee Amendments 4 and 5.

2. On page 1, line 22, strike "transferable at the discretion of the governor" and insert in

House Bill 212/aHCPAC/aHENRC – Page

2

lieu thereof "allocated by auction".

3. On page 1, line 24, after the period insert: "Any auction used to allocate an authoriza-

tion shall comply with rules adopted by the state game commission.".

4. On page 2, line 7, insert a period after "fund", strike the remainder of the line and

strike line 8 through the period.

HENRC Amendment to HB212 (as amended) adds no appropriation language, and DGF indi-

cates no impact on the agency’s revenue projections.

Synopsis of HCPAC Amendment

House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee amendment to HB212 amends the legislation to

reflect the following language:

1. On page 1, line 12, strike "AT THE DISCRETION OF" and insert in lieu thereof "FOR

SPECIAL EVENTS CALLED BY".

2. On page 1, line 17, strike "TWELVE BIG GAME" and insert in lieu thereof

"HUNTING AND FISHING".

3. On page 1, line 18, strike "DISCRETION" and insert in lieu thereof "SPECIAL

EVENTS".

4. On page 1, line 22, strike "transferable at the discretion of the governor" and insert in

lieu thereof "allocated by lottery, auction or other competitive means".

5. On page 1, line 24, after the period insert:

"Any lottery, auction or other competitive method used to allocate an authori-

zation shall comply with rules adopted by the state game commission.".

6. On page 2, lines 4 and 5, strike "shall be elk and no more than three shall be deer" and

insert in lieu thereof "authorizations shall be issued for any one species".,

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Bill 212 – Providing for Game and Fish Authorizations to be Issued at the Discretion of

the Governor – adds a new section of Chapter 17, Article 3 NMSA 1978, as follows:

Twelve Big Game Authorizations – Governor’s Discretion: The director of the department

of game and fish may annually make available to the governor no more than twelve big

game special authorizations and twelve game bird or trophy fish special authorizations.

The authorizations shall be transferable at the discretion of the governor in conjunction

with special events called by the governor to raise money for fish and wildlife conserva-

tion. Each authorization shall allow the holder to purchase a license to hunt or fish for the

species indicated on the authorization during dates and times at locations specified by the

state game commission. The director may designate the species allowable for each authori-

House Bill 212/aHCPAC/aHENRC – Page

3

zation, but no more than three shall be elk and no more than three shall be deer each year.

Money collected pursuant to the special authorizations of the governor shall be deposited

in the game protection fund and used only for fish and wildlife conservation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The Department of Game and Fish (DGF) estimates that revenues generated from the provision

of these authorizations will be from $25 thousand to $50 thousand dollars annually. Further that

these funds might then be leveraged against a variety of federal funding sources allowing for a

more significant ability to benefit fish and wildlife conservation in New Mexico. Impacts to the

Department’s operating budget will be minimal and limited to staff time required to generate the

appropriate authorization documents.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DGF suggests that activities that enhance or protect habitat are expensive and current state

funding sources are not sufficient and although there are significant federal dollars available for

such activities, most come with the requirement of matching state dollars. Accordingly, DGF

believes that the establishment of a number of discretionary gubernatorial authorizations to be

awarded for the express purpose of promoting the raising of funds for fish and wildlife

conservation would improve the state’s ability to take advantage of federal funding opportunities

to maximize habitat improvement, conservation, and protection.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Duplicates SB87

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

DGF concludes that if this bill is not enacted the state will loose an opportunity to generate reve-

nues that can be leveraged with various federal funding sources.

BW/mt