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

SPONSOR SEC

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/27/07

HB

SHORT TITLE

Public Peace, Health, Safety & Welfare

Mesquite Hazardous Material Training

SB 1224/SECS

ANALYST Peery-Galon

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

70.0

Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Response Received From

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

No Responses Received From

Governor’s Office

New Mexico Association of Counties

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

The Senate Education Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1224 appropriates $70.0 from the

general fund to the Department of Public Safety to be expended in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 to

provide hazardous materials awareness and hazardous materials operation training to first

responders in the community of Mesquite and to provide for the scheduling and availability of

on-call responders for potential hazardous materials incidents in the community of Mesquite in

Dona Ana County

The substitute for Senate Bill 1224 calls for the trained first responders to provide training at the

Mesquite Elementary School to faculty, staff and students in:

•

Awareness and identification of hazardous materials risks;

•

Inspection and monitoring of hazardous materials in the air, soil or water;

•

Development and continued updating of an evacuation plan; and

•

Preliminary emergency action to secure the safety of the school and community

populations in the even of a hazardous materials incident.

Senate Bill 1224 – Page

2

The first responders of Mesquite are to report annually to the State Emergency Response

Commission on the adequacy of the funding and training. The proposed legislation has an

emergency clause stating it is necessary for the public peace, health and safety that the act take

effect immediately.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $70.0 contained in this bill is a non-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.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Section 12-12-18(C) NMSA 1978 states it is the purpose of the Emergency Management Act

(Section 12-12-17 NMSA 1978) to:

•

provide that adequate hazardous materials emergency management capability exists in

the state to protect the health and safety of New Mexico citizens and the environment;

•

delineate those state agencies responsible for responding to a hazardous materials

accident and providing for the control and management of such an accident, and to

provide for the cooperation of other state agencies and local governments in emergency

management; and

•

provide for the formulation of a comprehensive hazardous materials emergency

management plan to be distributed statewide and that is complied by all individuals who

may be involved in responding to a hazardous materials accident.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

DPS notes that training will need to be scheduled with the department’s Hazardous Material

Bureau.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

The proposed legislation has a relationship with House Bill 1010 and Senate Bill 314.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

Hazmat Science Applications of Santa Fe reports using a four-part systems approach process to

decontamination:

•

Validate the procedures for decontamination of responders, victims and medical receiver

for maximum effectiveness;

•

Maximize the effectiveness of first-responder and medical-receiver training in the

validated procedure by using a performance feedback loop of visual evidence of success

of failure of decontamination;

•

Evaluate decon equipment for its compatibility, reliability, and usefulness within the

validated procedure; and

•

Test and evaluate the performance of the decon system, such as procedures, personnel

and equipment, under field operations.

RPG/csd