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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Nunez
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/9/2007
HB 899
SHORT TITLE Pink Bollworm Control Program
SB
ANALYST Moser
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$85.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 899 appropriates $85,000 from the General Fund to the Regents of NMSU for
expenditure in FY 2008 for the NMDA to support pink bollworm control districts’ expenditures
pursuant to the Pink Bollworm Act.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $85,000 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.
Continuing control is necessary since poor area wide management of pink bollworm could
reduce production value by $3 million or more and impede control efforts in adjacent states.
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House Bill 899 – Page
2
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
NMDA Analysis
Pink bollworm, an insect pest that feeds directly within cotton bolls, is now
found in all cotton production areas of New Mexico (approximately 70,000
acres). It is an economic pest in Luna, Sierra, and Eddy counties
(approximately 26,000 cotton acres). Prior to eradication efforts in Doņa Ana
county, pink bollworm was a significant economic pest in Doņa Ana county.
Because of the importance of area-wide management of pink bollworm, as
opposed to individual producer management, cotton producers in Doņa Ana,
Luna and Sierra counties voted to create a pink bollworm control district. The
control district is currently working with the United States department of
agriculture, animal and plant health inspection service and cotton producers in
west Texas and northern Mexico on an area-wide eradication program. After
four years of eradication efforts in south central New Mexico, Doņa Ana,
Sierra and Luna counties pink boll worm populations have decreased
approximately 99.6 percent. These efforts have resulted in an increase in
cotton production and have helped restore a margin of profitability that existed
prior to the establishment of pink bollworm in the area. Similar eradication
programs have been successful in Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri,
and California.
This proposal was not submitted to the HED by NMSU and was not included in the
Department’s funding recommendation for FY08.
GM/nt