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

SPONSOR Altamirano

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1-22-07

2-21-07 HB

SHORT TITLE Governor’s Game and Fish Authorizations

SB 87/aSCONC/aSFC/aSFL#1

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

none

none

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

REVENUE (dollars in thousands)

Estimated Revenue

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

FY09

25.0-50.0

25.0-50.0

Recurring Game Protection

Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates HB 212

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Game and Fish (DGF)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SFL Amendment #1

Senate Floor Amendment Number 1 to Senate Bill

87/aSCONC/aSFC

amends the legislation to

reflect the following language:

1.

On page 2, line 7, insert a period after the word “fund" and strike the remainder of the

line and all of line 8 through the period.

Senate Bill 87/aSCONC/aSFC/aSFL#1 – Page

2

The amendment adds no appropriation language to the bill.

Synopsis of SFC Amendment

DGF indicates (2-19-07) that Senate Conservation Committee amendment to Senate Bill

87/aSCONC amends the legislation to allow the Director of the Game and Fish Department

(Director) to provide a number of authorizations to the Governor, annually, to be allocated by

auction, for the express purpose of raising funds for fish and wildlife conservation. The bill

directs the State Game Commission to adopt rules regarding the Governor’s auctioning of these

authorizations. Funds raised through these auctions would be deposited into the Game

Protection Fund and used only for fish and wildife conservation. The Director would designate

the species allowable for each authorization with no more than three authorizations issued for

any one speicies during any single license year. Each authorization would allow the holder to

purchase a license to hunt or fish for the species indicated on the authorizations during the dates

and times and locations specified by the State Game Commission.

Synopsis of SCONC Amendment

Senate Conservation Committee amendment to Senate Bill 87 amends the legislation to reflect

the following language:

1. On page 1, line 12, strike "AT THE DISCRETION OF" and insert in lieu thereof "FOR

SPECIAL EVENTS CALLED BY".

2. On page 1, line 17, strike "TWELVE BIG GAME" and insert in lieu thereof "HUNTING AND

FISHING".

3. On page 1, line 18, strike "DISCRETION" and insert in lieu thereof "SPECIAL EVENTS".

4. On page 1, line 22, strike "transferable at the discretion of the governor" and insert in lieu thereof

"allocated by lottery, auction or other competitive means".

5. On page 1, line 24, after the period insert: "Any lottery, auction or other competitive method used

to allocate an authorization shall comply with rules adopted by the state game commission.".

6. On page 2, lines 4 and 5, strike "shall be elk and no more than three shall be deer" and insert in

lieu thereof "authorizations shall be issued for any one species".

The amendment adds no appropriation language to the bill.

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Bill 87 – Providing for Game and Fish Authorizations to be Issued at the Discretion of the

Governor – adds a new section of Chapter 17, Article 3 NMSA 1978, as follows:

Twelve Big Game Authorizations – Governor’s Discretion: The director of the department

of game and fish may annually make available to the governor no more than twelve big

game special authorizations and twelve game bird or trophy fish special authorizations.

The authorizations shall be transferable at the discretion of the governor in conjunction

with special events called by the governor to raise money for fish and wildlife

Senate Bill 87/aSCONC/aSFC/aSFL#1 – Page

3

conservation. Each authorization shall allow the holder to purchase a license to hunt or fish

for the species indicated on the authorization during dates and times at locations specified

by the state game commission. The director may designate the species allowable for each

authorization, but no more than three shall be elk and no more than three shall be deer each

year. Money collected pursuant to the special authorizations of the governor shall be

deposited in the game protection fund and used only for fish and wildlife conservation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The Department of Game and Fish (DGF) estimates that revenues generated from the provision

of these authorizations will be from $25 thousand to $50 thousand dollars annually. Further that

these funds might then be leveraged against a variety of federal funding sources allowing for a

more significant ability to benefit fish and wildlife conservation in New Mexico. Impacts to the

Department’s operating budget will be minimal and limited to staff time required to generate the

appropriate authorization documents.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DGF suggests that activities that enhance or protect habitat are expensive and current state

funding sources are not sufficient and although there are significant federal dollars available for

such activities, most come with the requirement of matching state dollars. Accordingly, DGF

believes that the establishment of a number of discretionary gubernatorial authorizations to be

awarded for the express purpose of promoting the raising of funds for fish and wildlife

conservation would improve the state’s ability to take advantage of federal funding opportunities

to maximize habitat improvement, conservation, and protection.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Duplicates HB212

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

DGF concludes that if this bill is not enacted the state will loose an opportunity to generate

revenues that can be leveraged with various federal funding sources.

BW/mt:csd