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.

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

SPONSOR Kernan

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/26/08

2/02/08 HB

SHORT TITLE Breast Cancer Awareness License Plates

SB 178/aSFC

ANALYST Earnest

REVENUE (dollars in thousands)

Estimated Revenue

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

FY10

NFI

NFI*

**

Recurring MVD operating

NFI

NFI*

**

Recurring

Department of

Health

Operating Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)

* TRD reports that any new plates cannot be produced until FY10. See administrative impact

section for more detail.

**TRD did not estimate the number of plates that might be needed.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Taxation and Revenue Department (TRD)

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SFC Amendment

The Senate Finance Committee amendment changes the purpose of the funding from “breast

cancer research and education" to breast cancer screening, outreach and education."

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Bill 178 creates a new license plate promoting awareness and providing a funding source

for breast cancer research and education. The fee for the plate is thirty-five dollars in addition to

the regular registration fees. This fee is required every year with the owner’s registration to

retain the special plate. Ten dollars of the additional fee will defray the cost of making and

issuing the special plate, and twenty-five dollars will be distributed to the Department of Health

for funding breast cancer research and education.

Senate Bill 178/aSFC – Page

2

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

TRD has no information to indicate the number of these special plates that might be requested.

The cost of each plate would be $35, with $10 being retained by MVD and $25 distributed to the

Department of Heath for breast cancer research and education.

Approximately 25,000 special plates are currently issued for 22 different issues. The most

common are the veterans of various armed services (9,269 total) and collegiate plates (8,957

total), but several of the special plates have been issued in much smaller quantities.

This bill provides for continuing appropriations. The LFC has concerns with including

continuing appropriation language in the statutory provisions for newly created funds, as

earmarking reduces the ability of the legislature to establish spending priorities.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According the Department of Health:

Approximately 1,100 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year in New

Mexico. During the same time period approximately 220 women will die from breast

cancer. These statistics do not include in situ cancers that have not invaded surrounding

tissues. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the state

across all racial/ethnic groups. Breast cancer accounts for one-third of cancer cases in

women, but less than 20 percent of the cancer deaths. (New Mexico Cancer Facts and

Figures,

2007,

accessed

January

17,

2008

from:

http://www.cancernm.org/cancercouncil/pdf/NMCFF_Facts-figures07.pdf

).

The Department of Health’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection (BCC) Program

provides screening and diagnosis for women ages 30 to 64 who are uninsured or

underinsured, and who live at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Based on

recent analyses of census data (2006 Current Population Survey, Annual Social and

Economic Supplement), 90,804 New Mexican women ages 30 to 64 are eligible to

receive services from the BCC Program. Current federal and state funding levels,

however, are sufficient to serve only about 15% of those eligible women. Last year, the

BCC Program served 13,182 New Mexican women

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

TRD reports that since the implementation of several special registration plates over the past few

years, the revenue accounting system of the Motor Vehicle Division has run out of revenue codes

to implement additional special registration plates. All new special registration plates must be

assigned a revenue code so the plate can be programmed into the system and the associated funds

distributed appropriately. Without any revenue codes available, no additional special registration

plates can be implemented into the existing system. In order to accommodate new special

registration plates, a re-write of the revenue accounting system will need to occur. The LFC and

Executive are recommending a new revenue system. If funded, the new system will be deployed

by January 1, 2010.

BE/bb:nt