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

SPONSOR Gonzales

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/24/08

HB 370

SHORT TITLE Padre Antonio Jose Martinez Film Project

SB

ANALYST Dearing

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 Senate Bill 266

Responses Received From

Cultural Affairs Department (CAD)

New Mexico Economic Development Department (NMTD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 370 appropriates $500 thousand from the general fund for expenditure in FY09 to the

Cultural Affairs department to contract for a film on the life of Padre Antonio Jose Martinez of

Taos.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $500 thousand contained in Senate Bill is a nonrecurring expense to the

general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall

revert to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the Economic Development department, House Bill 370 does not indicate the

producing entity, any experience in historical filmmaking, or any proposed form of distribution,

or payment of proceeds or ownership of the final project.

House Bill 370 – Page

2

Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, 1793 – 1867, was a Catholic priest, educator, publisher, farmer,

rancher, community leader and politician. He lived through and influenced three distinct periods

of New Mexico history – the Spanish period, the Mexican period, and the American occupation

and subsequent territorial period. He appears as a character in Willa Cather’s Death Comes for

the Archbishop.

Padre Martinez was born in Abiquiu and married at the age of 19, his wife dying just one year

later in childbirth. In 1817, he entered the seminary and was ordained a Franciscan priest in

1822. In 1842 he was appointed Catholic priest at the Taos Catholic parish. Padre Martinez was

a member of the Territorial Departmental Assembly of New Mexico beginning in 1830. His last

service was in 1846.

A statue celebrating Padre Martinez was dedicated on the Taos Plaza in July 2006. The

documentary film proposed in this bill is intended to further celebrate the life of Padre Martinez

as it educates the people of New Mexico about the extraordinary impact of this gentleman.

PERFORMANCE

The department has listed no performance measures in conjunction with the appropriation in

House Bill 370. There is no mention of the intended audience or viewing venue for the film,

however, it is possible that an attendance measure could be implemented pertaining to viewer-

ship figures for the documentary.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The department would experience no significant administrative impact. The department would

conduct an RFP process in order to accomplish the initiatives outlined in the bill.

PD/bb