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

SPONSOR Rodella

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/09/07

HB 1110

SHORT TITLE Rio Arriba Tribal Substance Abuse Programs

SB

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$100.0

Recurring

General

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Human Services Department (HSD)

Department of health (DOH)

Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 1110 appropriates $110 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs

Department to fund tribal programs by Indian Nations, tribes and pueblos in Rio Arriba County

to address substance abuse prevention and intervention.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100 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 the bill provides funding for tribal programs to address

substance abuse by Native Americans in Rio Arriba County, and especially for programs that

House Bill 1110 – Page

2

serve members of the Jicarilla Apache Nation (“the Nation"). According to Nation President

Levi Pesata, the Nation faces a substance abuse epidemic, particularly in the form of alcohol

consumption. The programs would address current abusers and also younger at-risk tribal

members through prevention measures.

A mix of innovative, self-help oriented and other approaches will be utilized to treat substance

abuse in the programs. In particular, “brief intervention" programs, which emphasize self-help

and are designed to increase motivation for behavior change among non-dependant users, will be

integral. For those who suffer from dependency, short-term residential detoxification programs

will be offered.

HSD and DOH offer the following similar information. The bill does not specify what is meant

by “intervention," so it is possible that substance abuse treatment services for Medicaid-eligible

individuals 18 years of age and under might be provided, which would then make those services

eligible for a federal Medicaid match. However, Medicaid does not cover traditional healing

services and cultural teaching activities, so these services would not be eligible for federal match.

The majority of behavioral health funding is overseen by the Interagency Behavioral Health

Purchasing Collaborative. IAD is a member agency. It is assumed that these funds will flow

through, and be administered by, the Statewide Entity, ValueOptions of New Mexico.

Compared with other Americans, it is reported that Native Americans experience an overall

lower health status and rank at, or near, the bottom of other social, educational and economic

indicators. Native Americans have a life expectancy rate of four years less than the overall U.S.

population and die at higher rates due to a variety of diseases including diabetes, alcoholism,

cervical cancer, suicide, heart disease, and tuberculosis

.

MW/nt