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

SPONSOR Lujan, A

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/24/08

HB 261

SHORT TITLE State Historian Regional Historian Initiative

SB

ANALYST Ortiz

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$500.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Duplicates HB18, HB69, HB82, SB4

Responses Received From

Commission of Public Record (CPR)

Attorney General’s Office (AGO)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 261 appropriates $500 thousand from the GENERAL FUND to Commission of

Public Records for expenditure in fiscal years 2009 and 2010 for the purpose of the state

historian’s regional historian initiative.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $500 thousand contained in this bill is a RECURRING expense to the

GENERAL FUND. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of 2010

shall revert to the GENERAL FUND.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

As noted by the Commission of Public Records, the appropriation would allow it to contract with

qualified historians based in four regions across the state as well as with a regional coordinator to

manage the program. Each region will include eight counties and in one case nine counties.

House Bill 261 – Page

2

Each of the four regional historians would be contracted for two years at $46.0 per year ($92.0

each for a total of $368.0), which will include their operating expenses. The OSH regional

coordinator would be contracted for two years at $55.0 per year ($110.0 total), which will

include operating expenses. Their responsibilities, expectations and deliverables will be based

generally on the mission of the agency and its OSH and will be detailed in each contract. The

remaining balance will be used for equipment.

Further, the state historian serves as the advocate and authority on New Mexico history. The

OSH is a division within the State Records Center and Archives (SRCA) and is staffed by the

state historian, assistant state historian and, beginning in July, 2007, a part time administrative

assistant

Finally CPR adds that based on a model utilized in other states to encourage a focus on local

history, the state historian has identified this program as a necessary component to serving all

communities across the state and redressing the neglect of communities and regions that are

peripheral to capital of Santa Fe and large metropolitan area of Albuquerque. The proposal is to

begin with four historians and one regional coordinator. Each historian will be based within and

focus on a regional parameter that includes eight counties each, and in one case nine counties; in

sum total all 33 counties will be included in this effort. These regional historians will be guided

generally by the mission of the agency, which includes as one component a charge to promote an

understanding and appreciation of NM history and that of OSH which echoes the agency's—to

foster and facilitate an understanding and appreciation of New Mexico history and culture

through education, research, preservation and community outreach—with specifically identified

deliverables that include work on compiling histories reflective of events, people, places and

stories based within the eight and nine county parameter. These duties and deliverables would

include assisting the state historian in addressing building history literacy and curriculum for use

in the K-12 classroom. Deliverables that will be identified in the contract will include

completing a certain number of oral histories, public lectures in their specified region and writing

and editing a certain number of historical and interpretive essays for publication by the OSH.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The Commission of Public Records identified the following performance implications.

Create and foster supportive relationships.

•

Create and foster relationships with government agencies, local and tribal communities,

and professional organizations to support and promote an understanding of New Mexico

history and culture.

Foster and facilitate an understanding and appreciation of New Mexico history and culture

through education, research, and community outreach.

•

Work with universities, K-12 schools, educators and students consistent to foster

understanding and appreciation for New Mexico history. .

•

Collaborate with government, institutional and community oral history projects.

•

Provide outreach to communities within New Mexico focused on New Mexico history

and culture, including presentations, lectures and exhibits.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The Commission of Public Records indicates that the Regional Historians Coordinator will also

House Bill 261 – Page

3

be charged with establishing contracts and managing the program. The bill, if enacted, would,

however, impose additional and on-going administrative and operational requirements on the

agency not covered by the appropriation. The $5.0 per year figure provided in the Estimated

Additional Operating Impact table, above, is an estimate of the costs of those activities and

includes the costs of resources required to promulgate and update rules to govern the operations

of the program and selection of regional historians; recruit and select contractors; review

contracts (if developed by the contracted coordinator, staff will still have to ensure they meet

state standards); review verify and certify contract compliance; establish and process contracts,

requisitions, purchase orders and vouchers through the state SHARE system; prepare and

monitor budgets; etc.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Department of Cultural Affairs explains that the Office of the State Historian is New

Mexico’s lead agency on history education, outreach and programming. With limited staff in the

agency, it is our understanding that the agency’s aggressive agenda would be best served by the

regional historians program as outlined in this bill. This model has been used successfully in

other states to foster interest in local history and to promulgate effective statewide projects. This

type of regional historians approach in our state may greatly enhance the State Historian’s high-

profile plan for bringing innovative history programs to the people and communities of New

Mexico.

EO/bb