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

SPONSOR Barela

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

3/08/2007

HM 79

SHORT TITLE Fully Fund Veteran Health Care Services

SB

ANALYST Schuss

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to House Memorial 76

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Memorial 79 requests that Congress fund veterans’ health care services fully.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

House Memorial 79 states that the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs’ mission and motto is

“to care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow and orphan" and President George

Washington stated, “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war,

no matter how justified, shall be directly proportionate to how they perceive the veterans of

earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country". Whenever the United States Military

has been called upon to send forces into harm’s way, including sons and daughters of our great

state, they have proudly answered the call and we, as United States citizens, have promised our

troops through military enlistment contracts comprehensive, quality accessible health care for

those veterans honorably discharged from the United States Military, past, present and future.

Although the legislative bodies of our government at all levels have recognized the importance

of supporting those who serve our great country, legislation itself has fallen short of meeting the

health care needs of our veterans. The current discretionary funding mechanisms for veterans’

health care is beset by numerous flaws, preventing many veterans from receiving the quality

House Memorial 79 – Page

2

health care they earned and deserve. March 16, 2006, the United States Senate voted down

mandatory funding for veterans’ health care services that would have insured mandatory funding

for our veterans’ health care needs. A Federal Government accountability office report in 2005

highlighted the lack of resources experienced by the Federal Veterans Health Administration and

its understaffed workforce as they attempt to process an increasing backlog of our veterans’

claims. Anthony Principi, former Federal Secretary of Veterans Affairs, has publicly stated that

the Department of Veterans Affairs has been struggling to provide promised health care services

to the rapidly rising number of veterans requiring health care services.

The House of Representatives of the State of New Mexico requests that its members, as proud

citizens of this great nation, fully support mandatory funding for veterans’ health care services.

HM 79 also requests that the United States House of Representatives and the United States

Senate be requested to ensure that the health care obligations to our veterans be recognized and

that legislation be introduced and passed for signing by the President of the United States to

guarantee full mandatory funding of veterans’ health care services.

BS/mt