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

SPONSOR Moore

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/08/2007

HB 459

SHORT TITLE Clovis Agricultural Science Center

SB

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$350.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 130

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University – Clovis (NMSU-C)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 459 appropriates $350,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of NMSU

for expenditure in FY 2008 for program enhancements at the Agricultural Science Center (ASC)

at Clovis.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $350,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the

General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to NMSU-C, this bill creates three (3) professional research/extension assistant posi-

tions, one (1) secretarial position and one (1) farm laborer position, including fringe benefits, and

House Bill 459 – Page

2

operating funds; to enable existing research and extension faculty to be more effective in their

efforts to address production, conservation and environmental challenges confronting agricul-

tural producers in New Mexico.

NMSU did not submit this request to the New Mexico Higher Education Department for review

and is not included in the Department’s funding recommendation for FY 2008.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

NMSU-C

Recent legislative funding (2004) increased the number of faculty positions at the Agricultural

Science Center at Clovis, which has produced a flurry of activity relative to scientific investiga-

tions and dissemination of information relative to agricultural production. This bill provides re-

search/extension assistants, support staff, and operational funding which will improve the cen-

ter’s ability to develop and implement producer driven research and extension programs.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Senate Bill 130 appropriates $250,000 for the same purpose.

BM/sb