Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports
if they are used for other purposes.
Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).
Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and
attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Cisneros
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
1/22/08
HB
SHORT TITLE Farmers' Market Nutrition Enhancement Program
SB 49
ANALYST Haug
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$250.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates HB 156
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA)
Department of Health (DOH)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 49 appropriates $250.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of
New Mexico State University for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to support the
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Enhancement Program.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $250.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any
unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the
general fund.
The PED states that this request was submitted by NMSU and NMDA to the New Mexico
Higher Education Department for review. The FY09 NMHED Executive recommendation is
continuance of FY08 recurring funding of the Special Projects line item.
pg_0002
Senate Bill 49 – Page
2
NMDA currently administers the $110,000 recurring funding for the farmers’ market nutrition
Program. The appropriation in Senate Bill 49 is in addition to the current recurring funding.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
NMDA states that:
This program provides food coupons to low-income and senior citizens to shop at local
farmers’ markets.
The current redemption rate for coupons at local farmers’ markets is up to 80%
demonstrating a need by consumers and a benefit to local growers.
Forty-eight percent of program participants had never before been to a farmers’ market.
This program allows new consumers to purchase local grown nutritious fruits and
vegetables.
The HED points out that New Mexico's farmers' markets are located in the following cities and
counties: Alamogordo, Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Corrales, Village of Los Ranchos, Questa,
Aztec, Belen/Valencia County, Bloomfield, Carlsbad-Eddy County, Cedar Crest, Chaparral,
Clayton, Clovis, Dixon, Elephant Butte, Espanola, Farmington, Gallup, Grants, Las Cruces, Las
Vegas, Los Alamos, Mesilla, Moriarty, Portales, Ramah, Roswell, San Felipe Pueblo, Santa Fe,
Santa Rosa, Socorro, Sunland Park, Taos, Tierra Amarilla, Tucumcari, and Tularosa.
According to the DOH, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has monitored
household “food insecurity" rates since 1995, issued its 2005 findings for the nation and
individual states. New Mexico is first in the nation in terms of households experiencing “food
insecurity," and ranks second in terms of “very low food security," which was previously defined
by USDA as “food insecurity with hunger." These new rankings represent a fall for New
Mexico in both categories. In 2004, New Mexico ranked #2 for “food insecurity," and #4 for
“very low food security. HB156 complies with the objectives of the 2010 Plan to End Hunger in
New Mexico
The funding would support a pilot program to provide 8,100 low income residents and seniors
with $28.00 to purchase locally grown fruits and vegetables at their local farmers’ market. This
pilot would use the infrastructure of the current Commodity Supplemental Food Program to
provide additional fruits and vegetables to seniors already receiving commodities. Promotion
and further expansion of New Mexico’s farmers’ markets would make fresh produce available to
participants of the Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). The majority of those
participants are seniors. Increased fresh fruit and vegetable intake is one of the key messages
that the Department of Health encourages through the “5- A-Day" and the “Fruits & Veggies –
More Matters" programs to help prevent chronic conditions and diseases such as coronary heart
disease, some cancers, obesity, and osteoporosis.
DUPLICATION
Senate Bill 49 is an exact duplicate of House Bill 156.
GH/mt