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

SPONSOR Papen

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/22/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE “Colonias Day"

SB SJM 39

ANALYST Schuss

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 39 recognizes March 5, 2007 as “Colonias Day" and requests the

Governor and his cabinet to assist local efforts to improve the quality of life in New Mexico by

adding rural communities and Colonias to the state’s priority action list of programs and water

projects for legislative funding.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Senate Joint Memorial 39 states that the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Association of

Counties comprises the elected officials who are responsible for the health, welfare and safety of

the residents of New Mexico’s thirty three counties, and these board members are asked to

represent and address the needs of these residents.

SJM 39 reports that rural and Colonias communities are sorely lacking in infrastructure,

accessibility, opportunities and sanitation services. By working together the state and individual

communities could lift these communities up and provide better futures for the children in the

communities who will in turn raise their own families on family properties. Residents of rural

and Colonias communities face harsh challenges on a daily basis and are reluctant to as for help.

Senate Joint Memorial 39 – Page

2

Initiating a statewide improvement program for rural and Colonias communities where the state

partners with the counties to empower these small communities could dramatically improve the

quality of life in them.

The Legislature of the State of New Mexico requests that March 5, 2007 be recognized as

“Colonias Day" in the Legislature. SJM 39 also requests that Governor Richardson and his

cabinet work with the Board of Directors of the New Mexico Association of Counties to assist

local efforts to improve the quality of life in the state and to add improvements for rural

communities and Colonias to the state’s priority action list of programs for legislative funding.

PED notes that many of New Mexico’s rural communities need to implement innovative and

sustained economic development, retain a highly trained work force and have better access to

state agencies. This initiative would serve as a catalyst for holistic community revitalization in

rural schools and their efforts to establish private-public partnerships.

BS/mt