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

SPONSOR B Lujan

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/26/07

HB HJM 50

SHORT TITLE Northern NM College Sostenga! Center

SB

ANALYST Wilson

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY07

FY08

FY09 3 Year

Total Cost

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

$0.1

$0.1

$0.1 Recurring General

Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Joint Memorial 50 recognizes Sostenga!, the center for sustainable food, agriculture and

environment at northern New Mexico College as a state resource for participatory research and

community involvement for environmental health, food security and economic development in

northern New Mexico, and that this resource enhances the State's capability to address the public

health problems of diabetes, obesity and rural economic and community development.

The memorial requests that the Office of the Governor to provide information to the Department

of Health and the Economic Development Department (EDD) that Sostenga!, the center for

sustainable food, agriculture and environment at Northern New Mexico College, is a resource for

participatory research, community involvement, environmental health, food security and

economic development.

The memorial also requests that the Office of the Governor to direct the EDD to provide support

in the form of business development assistance and assistance in the creation of a food

cooperative to sell local produce and value-added products in Rio Arriba County and that the

EDD report to the appropriate legislative interim committee regarding the level of support to

Sostenga! and the related food cooperative initiatives by November 2007.

Furthermore, the memorial resolves that the Office of the Governor and any appropriate state

agencies should include representatives of Sostenga! in health, economic development and food

security initiatives, particularly where the assets of northern New Mexico may be utilized or its

needs may be addressed.

House Joint Memorial 50 – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

There are no fiscal implications.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

New Mexico is ranked first in the nation in food insecurity and third in hunger.

Low-income New Mexico families spend as much as 26%of their annual income on food, a

proportion that is double that of the national average.

Evidence suggests that many New Mexicans, especially those living in rural areas, do not have

adequate access to healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate foods because they lack access

to grocery stores and transportation.

Health problems caused by poor nutrition, including obesity and diabetes, cost New Mexico

$324,000,000 annually.

These health problems can be remedied with improved nutrition through adequate access to

healthy, affordable and culturally appropriate foods.

Farm and ranch land has been supplanted by real estate development, particularly in northern

New Mexico

Agricultural producers are increasingly searching for additional economic development

activities, such as office and technical work, to augment a chosen agrarian lifestyle.

Sustenance farming has been the life blood of northern New Mexico.

Northern New Mexico College strives to expand the college's capacity to address these issues

through Sostenga!, the center for sustainable food, agriculture and environment and its

commercial kitchen to promote healthy eating and lifestyles, work force development, value-

added food production, entrepreneurship and management.

Northern New Mexico College's Sostenga! Center seeks to develop educational programs,

community resources and a food cooperative to provide healthy local produce, support local

farmers and market value-added local products.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The staffs of EDD will have to provide support

in the form of business development assistance

and assistance in the creation of a food cooperative. This can be handled as part of their ongoing

responsibilities.

DW/csd