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

SPONSOR Picraux

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED 2/7/07 HB 573

SHORT TITLE At-Risk Youth Urban & Rural Dance Program

SB

ANALYST Lucero

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$1,200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB423 and HB536

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Juvenile Parole Board

Children, Youth and Families Department

Public Education Department

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 573 appropriates one million two hundred thousand ($1,200,000) from the general

fund to Children, Youth and Families Department for fiscal year 2008 to contract with a non-

profit professional modern dance repertory company to provide an on-site and off-site statewide

urban and rural dance program for sentenced and post-release rehabilitation sustainability for at-

risk and in-system juveniles.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of one million two hundred thousand ($1,200,000) contained in this bill is a

recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at

the end of fiscal year 2008 shall revert to the general fund.

The appropriation in this bill is not part of Children Youth and Families Department's request

and is not included in the Executive recommendation of Children Youth and Families Depart-

House Bill 573 – Page

2

ment.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The bill specifies sentenced and post-release rehabilitation sustainability as the intent of the pro-

gram.

The Public Defender Department supports legislation improving the overall operation of the

criminal justice system, including sustainable rehabilitation for juvenile offenders.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

HB 573 relates to the Governor’s policy initiative Safer New Mexico Task 9.4: Increase suc-

cessful re-entry of adult and juvenile offenders to society. The CYFD strategy of increasing the

quality and life-appropriateness of client programming in facilities as preparation for community

re-entry and in front-end community supervision services ties directly to the present bill.

HB 573 also relates to the Governor’s Safer New Mexico goal of increasing youth alternatives to

gangs and increasing community awareness of gang activity by providing gang awareness, pre-

vention and education in New Mexico’s rural areas and Native American communities.

HB 573 could positively impact measures that relate to the Governor’s Obesity Prevention initia-

tive. Obesity prevention initiatives can enhance school attendance, graduation rates and student

performance.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

If passed, the bill will have an administrative impact on children, youth and families department

that the bill does not address.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to HB 536 and SB 423

TECHNICAL ISSUES

None at this time.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) currently supports the National Dance Institute

(NDI), which is a nonprofit professional modern dance repertory company in providing an on-

site and off-site statewide urban and rural dance program for youth involved or at-risk of being

involved in the juvenile justice system. A current contract of $20,000 is in place for this pur-

pose.

Involvement with music and the arts has been repeatedly identified as a resiliency factor for

youth that, in concert with other resiliencies, serves to protect them from risk factors to their

health, safety, and development.

House Bill 573 – Page

3

Leadership is defined as "the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to

contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members"

(House, R. J. 2004: page 15).

New Mexico’s Physical Education Content Standards with benchmarks call for students to:

•

Maintain and improve physical fitness, motor skills and knowledge about physical activ-

ity.

•

Practice and demonstrate physical activity as a vehicle for self-expression.

The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, located at

http://www.dropoutprevention.org/effstrat/after_school_opps/overview.htm, provides the follow-

ing information regarding the need for after-school programs: “Many disadvantaged students in

urban and rural environments lack the day-to-day experiences that stimulate their intellectual de-

velopment. After-school opportunities have positive effects on academic success, social behavior

and provide opportunities for enrichment for at-risk students. There are a multitude of youth pro-

grams available, but many are inaccessible to inner-city and rural youth. These youth have fewer

programs from which to choose than those in the suburbs. Urban youth often turn to gangs and

the drug trade for protection, friends and job opportunities due to lack of parental authority. The

rural areas tend to lack the level of violence of inner cities, but there are still problems. A dispro-

portionately large share of the poor is enrolled in rural schools. Rural areas are characterized by

geographic isolation, declining population and inadequate community facilities which acerbate

the problems related to economic hardship and racial and ethnic tensions (Green & Schneider,

1990)."

There is an association between sedentary lifestyles and obesity, which can result in sleep apnea,

asthma and Type II Diabetes -- all of which impact student learning and can contribute to the

achievement gap.

National data indicate that 15% of youths are overweight. In New Mexico, 17% of elementary,

52% of middle school and 43% of high school students are overweight. The economic burden of

chronic diseases associated with obesity is $324 million in New Mexico and $117 billion nation-

ally.

According to the 2005 New Mexico Youth Risk and Residency and Survey

•

44% of New Mexico high school students did not participate in physical activity during

the past week of the survey

•

50% of high school students are not enrolled in physical education.

ALTERNATIVES

None identified.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Status Quo.

DL/sb