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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

2/14/2007

HB 982

SHORT TITLE NMSU Vegetation Monitoring Studies

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$250.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates: SB 913

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 982 makes an appropriation of $250,000 from the General Fund to the Board of

Regents of New Mexico State University (NMSU) for expenditure for FY08 to assist the

livestock industry with vegetation monitoring studies by the College of Agriculture.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

NMSU reports that the College of Agriculture and Home Economics is aggressively involved in

finding solutions to current problems in New Mexico. Many of the research and community

educational programs are guided by community advisory groups, which help focus efforts on

improving the economic and environmental conditions and personal quality of life in

communities. For example, there is a program geared to bring together ranchers, especially those

using federal and state trust lands, as well as federal and state land management employees to

House Bill 982 – Page

2

participate in a rancher initiated monitoring system. Ranchers and people interested in vegetation

management will be informed as to management options for locoweed and other poisonous

plants. State and federal land management agencies and sportsman groups are target audiences

that will be provided information regarding livestock and wildlife interactions and the carrying

capacity of rangelands. Certain plants and weeds become an increasingly dangerous problem in

the river valleys and rangelands. Rancher, farmers, environmental groups, wildlife management

agencies, and homeowners require training in the effects and control of noxious weed species.

The Range Improvement Task Force has a mission to improve rangelands and resource

management by addressing issues related to water, land title, and policy. Due to recent climate

change conditions, drought and flooding have highlighted a greater need for the Range

Improvement Task Force. This appropriation will support data driven monitoring of vegetation

aimed to improve rangelands and management of resources. As a result, this will assist the

livestock industry and other stakeholders to solve problems such as poisonous plants, climate

change, overgrazing, and grassfires.

This proposal was not submitted to the HED by NMSU and was not included in the department’s

funding recommendation for FY08.

GM/csd