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

SPONSOR Cervantes

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

03/12/07

HB HM 78

SHORT TITLE Joseph M. Stell Water Ombudsman Program

SB

ANALYST Williams

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriations for the Utton Transboundary Resources Center

ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT (dollars in thousands)

FY07

FY08

FY09 3 Year

Total Cost

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

Total

Minimal

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Memorial 78 discusses the many accomplishments of State Representative Joe M. Stell.

The memorial notes “with Representative Stell’s support, and under his leadership, the university

of New Mexico created the Utton Transboundary Resources Center Ombudsman Program on

water to foster dialogue and creative approaches to difficult problems such as water conflicts."

The memorial requests the board of regents at the University of New Mexico name the Utton

Transboundary Resources Center’s Ombudsman Program as the Joe M. Stell Water Ombudsman

Program.

House Memorial 78 – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

An appropriation is not included in this House Memorial.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Utton Transboundary Resources Center was established at the University of New Mexico

School of Law to carry on the work of the late Professor Albert E. Utton related to transboundary

resource issues. Professor Utton, a visionary and man of diplomacy, was co-founder of The

International Transboundary Resources Center (CIRT) and the Natural Resources Center (NRC)

at the University of New Mexico School of Law. In January of 1999, a group of Professor

Utton’s colleagues met and determined to continue his work.

The Utton Center, in carrying out its mission to promote equitable and sustainable management

and utilization of transboundary resources through impartial expertise, multi-disciplinary

scholarship, and preventive diplomacy brings together multidisciplinary teams for academic

research and field work projects. Solutions for complex transboundary resource issues are

reached using preventive diplomacy and fact-based analysis. The Utton Center examines and

analyzes the problems, develops teams to collaborate on solutions, and helps avoid costly

litigation while fostering sustainable resource management plans.

By providing information to the public about water rights, and assisting water rights claimants

and the courts in adjudication of water rights, ombudsman services could reduce the amount of

litigation required for settlement of water rights claims.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

There would be minimal administrative costs associated with signage, office supplies and other

materials associated with the naming requested in this memorial.

AW/nt