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

SPONSOR Lovejoy

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/21/07

HB

SHORT TITLE Santo Domingo Pueblo Emergency Services

SB 1171

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$100.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Department of Health (DOH)

No Response Received From

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 1171 appropriates $100 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs

Department to provide funding for an emergency services program at the Pueblo of Santo

Domingo.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $100 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of Fiscal Year 2008 shall

revert to the general fund.

Senate Bill 1171 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Indian Affairs contributes the following.

According to Santo Domingo Pueblo (“the Pueblo"), the bill would provide the opportunity for

the Pueblo to develop and administer an emergency services program to ensure the health and

public safety of tribal members and people in the surrounding areas. The proposed emergency

services program would ensure proper coordination of all emergency services such as fire rescue,

first responders, tribal community health representatives program (CHR), and emergency

responders. Importantly, the program will ensure better coordination with county, state, federal

(i.e., Bureau of Indian Affairs) emergency services programs and police units.

A 2005 capacity assessment by the NM Department of Health, Office of Health Emergency

Management, found inadequate tribal emergency management programs. One of the

recommendations made in the assessment was the employment of a full-time emergency

manager at each Tribe. Currently, only five New Mexico Tribes (Acoma, Jemez, Laguna,

Navajo Nation, and Santa Clara) employ devoted emergency managers- funded through a

mixture of federal, state, and tribal revenues. The remaining 17 Tribes in the state have assigned

emergency management responsibilities to staff with other responsibilities.

Given the continuing demands of the post-9/11 world and a never ending stream of natural

disasters, the emergency needs of our state are greater than ever. The geographic remoteness and

vast land areas of many New Mexico Tribes make them especially susceptible to serious

emergencies. Recent flooding in northern and central New Mexico Pueblos, the pandemic flu,

and historic snowstorms all reinforce the unique needs of Tribal communities in the realm of

emergency preparedness and response. The current Tribal infrastructure for emergency

management is inadequate to protect New Mexico citizens and resources in those areas.

The Department of Health adds that New Mexico relies on EMS services as a safety net for

health care in many rural and frontier communities. New Mexico has only approximately 450

EMS services. Many services are located in rural communities and have difficulty with finding

financial support for day to day operations of a service. SB1171 would purpose an expanded

opportunity for the Pueblo of Santo Domingo to provide emergency services.

Availability of this service could increase the EMS workforce and provide improved services

and care to a particular area. In addition, the program would enhance statewide preparedness

and response planning for public health emergencies.

MW/csd