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

SPONSOR Foley

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-10-2007

HB 567

SHORT TITLE NM Veterans Outreach

SB

ANALYST Dearing

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$30.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

*Duplicates Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Veterans’ Services Department (VSD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 567 appropriates $30 thousand from the general fund for expenditure in FY08 to

Veterans’ Services department for the purpose of outreach to educate New Mexico veterans

regarding their State and Federal benefits.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $30 thousand contained in House Bill 567 is a recurring expense to the

General Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall

revert to the General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Veterans’ Services department’s primary mission is to provide outreach to educate New

Mexico veterans regarding their State and Federal benefits DVS has 17 field offices located

around the State that are tasked with the responsibility of outreach to veterans within their

House Bill 567 – Page

2

respective area. These offices assist veterans in filing for all federal and state benefits available

to them and their families. Each office also conducts outreach initiatives in the surrounding

areas.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The department would need to administer financial oversight over these additional educational

and outreach funds.

DUPLICATION

The appropriation duplicates/supplements the agency’s General Fund budget recommendation

for FY08 of $2,816 million.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Veterans’ Services department would perform these activities through their regularly

appropriated agency budget, via the General Appropriations Act.

PD/nt