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

SPONSOR Madalena

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/19/07

HB 1025

SHORT TITLE Native American Women and Children Assistance SB

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$260.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 1025 appropriates $260 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs

Department for the purpose of contracting with a coalition of Native Americans organizations to

provide assistance and support to Native American women and children who have been

subjected to violence, including domestic violence, sexual assault, battering and stalking.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $260 thousand 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.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Indian Affairs Department notes that according to the American Indian Heath Council,

American Indian women are at higher risk of homicide than other groups of women. Homicide

is the 3rd leading cause of death for Native women. Further, American Indian women

House Bill 1025 – Page

2

experience the highest rate of violence of any group in the United States.

Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice study, American Indians and Crime, reveals that

Native Americans are more than two times the general U.S. population to be victims of violent

crimes. And the victimization of Native American females is twice that of all women in the

United States.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico based Coalition to Stop Violence against Native Women

acknowledges that the state of New Mexico is trailing behind other states in the prosecution of

perpetrators of crimes against women and children on Native lands. The Coalition to Stop

Violence Against Native Women includes the following New Mexico organizations; San Felipe

Social Services in San Felipe Pueblo, Peace Keepers of the Eight Northern Pueblos, Family

Harmony on the Navajo Nation in Crownpoint, Tewa Women United in San Ildefonso Pueblo,

Haven House in Rio Rancho, New Beginnings in Zuni Pueblo, and Home for Women and

Children in Shiprock.

CYFD brings up the concern that because only one coalition of Native American domestic

violence organizations exists at this time in New Mexico, the bill implicitly specifies the vendor

for these services which runs counter to procurement code.

MW/nt