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

SPONSOR Pinto

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-22-07

HB

SHORT TITLE Meat Inspection Cultural Considerations

SB SJM 29

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

No Responses Received From

New Mexico Livestock Board

1

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 29 requests the New Mexico Livestock Board to help retain small

businesses in communities throughout New Mexico and preserve traditional practices of Native

American and Hispanic communities by taking into consideration cultural and traditional

practices in adopting regulations for meat inspection and slaughterhouses.

There is no appropriation attached to this legislation.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES:

The joint memorial urges the New Mexico Livestock Board to begin a dialogue with leaders of

traditional Native American and Hispanic communities to discuss the potential for working together

to develop better communication and to provide better understanding of the needs of both the

traditional community leaders and the regulators pertaining to the butchering or slaughter of animals

in traditional ways for feasts, ceremonies and community gatherings.

1

Agency comments requested on 2-4-07.

Senate Joint Memorial 29 – Page

2

It resolves that the New Mexico Livestock Board and the proprietors of small slaughterhouses and

butchering operations that provide meat and slaughtered animals for ceremonies, Hispanic

community matanzas and other traditional community gatherings and celebrations work together to

sustain these small businesses to promote the traditions and cultures of New Mexico.

It additionally resolves that the New Mexico Livestock Board work with Native American traditional

spiritual leaders and proprietors of operations that butcher or slaughter animals for consumption at

feasts, ceremonies, Hispanic community matanzas and other traditional gatherings to address

regulatory restrictions of the United States department of agriculture that are impeding the operation

of these small businesses and slowly destroying the underlying traditions of the cultures of New

Mexico.

The joint memorial concludes with requests for the New Mexico Livestock Board report on its

progress in developing better communication and establishing an ongoing dialogue to the appropriate

legislative interim committee no later than September 1, 2007, and for copies of the memorial be

transmitted to the governor, the president of the Navajo Nation, the chair of the all Indian pueblo

council and the New Mexico Livestock Board.

BFW/nt