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

SPONSOR M.J. Garcia

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/31/07

HB

SHORT TITLE Las Cruces Museum of Natural History

SB 553

ANALYST Propst

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$466.3

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Cultural Affairs Department (CAD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 553 would appropriate $466,280 from the General Fund to the Local Government

Division of the Department of Finance and Administration for expenditure in FY08 for the

relocation of the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History from the Mesilla Valley Mall to a new

location and for funding educational programs at the museum.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $466,280 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

General Fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Department of Cultural Affairs notes that, Senate Bill 553 would appropriate $466,280 from

the General Fund to the Local Government Division of the Department of Finance and

Administration for expenditure in fiscal year 2008 for the relocation of the Las Cruces Museum

of Natural History from the Mesilla Valley Mall to a new location and for funding educational

programs at the museum.

Senate Bill 553 – Page

2

Senate Bill 553 would enhance the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History which is now housed

in a small location at the Mesilla Valley Mall. It would also allow the museum to expand its

excellent educational programs.

There is no other natural history museum in southern New Mexico. The Las Cruces Museum of

Natural History has close relationships with other museums, notably the New Mexico Museum

of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

DFA notes that the museum is a major part of the City's 2005 strategic plan, enhancing the

Cultural Corridor of the downtown revitalization process. The City will pay $150,000 for

renovations to the relocated museum and will own the building. State funding for educational

programs is primarily for designing, fabricating, and installing museum exhibits.

In addition to the appropriation of $466,280, the City of Las Cruces will also trade land for the

building in order to facilitate this effort

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

The Las Cruces Museum of Natural History would continue to be restricted in its ability to

attract visitors and to service area schools through its educational programming.

WEP/csd