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

SPONSOR Miera

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/07/07

HB 635

SHORT TITLE NM Highlands Outreach Family Services Center

SB

ANALYST Guambaña

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Children, Youth, and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 635 appropriates $200,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) for the purpose of an Outreach Family Services Center

and Student Training Clinic at NMHU School of Social Work.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $200,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall not revert to the

General Fund.

HED maintains that this proposal was not submitted to them by NMHU and was not included in

the Department’s funding recommendation for FY08.

House Bill 635 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

HED states that the appropriation shall be used to fund additional staff for the Center, clinical

supervision of Social Work students, as well as training for Social Work professionals who

provide counseling, treatment, and education services to clients impacted by substance abuse in

Bernalillo County.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD contends that the availability of this Center could help Protective Services work with

families affected by substance abuse to prevent repeat maltreatment, children’s removal from

their homes, and/or expedite reunification of children with their families.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

CYFD asserts that, although House Bill 635 specifies that the training clinic is intended for

Clinical Social Workers in NMHU’s School of Social Work, working with substance abuse

affected families is a critical responsibility of Child Welfare Social Workers as well. Those

students participating in CYFD’s stipend program through NMHU would benefit by the training

offered through the Center.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

How will clients be identified and prioritized.

What will client eligibility requirements be.

AG/csd