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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

1/18/08

HB

SHORT TITLE Dona Ana Pretrial Triage Service

SB 98

ANALYST Propst

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$172.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Human Services Department (HSD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 98, Making an Appropriation for Pretrial Triage Services for Nonviolent, Mentally Ill

Misdemeanor Detainees in Dona Ana County, appropriates $172 thousand from the general fund

to the Department of Finance and Administration for the purpose of providing pretrial triage

services in magistrate court for nonviolent, mentally ill misdemeanor detainees in Dona Ana

County.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $172 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring 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 Human Services Department (HSD), the Senate Joint Memorial 34 Study

Group, which has submitted its Report to for the 2008 legislative session, identified the gaps in

services for responding to psychiatric crises in Dona Ana County. The absence of pretrial

Senate Bill 98 – Page

2

services where mentally ill residents charged with a misdemeanor could be appropriately and

efficiently treated was identified as a gap in services in Dona Ana County.

The term “triage services" customarily means an urgent assessment of the psychiatric status of a

patient to determine the best course of treatment. SM 98 does not define this term or specify

what services are to be purchased.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

HSD notes that the bill appropriates $172 thousand to the Local Government Division of the

Department of Finance and Administration without prescribing whether it is intended for the

Human Services Department, Dona Ana County or other governmental unit. Also, the cost basis

for the appropriation is not specified.

WEP/mt