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

SPONSOR Nava

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/1/08

HB

SHORT TITLE Gadsden School Meals for Senior Citizens

SB 521

ANALYST Nava

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$30.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 521 appropriates $30.0 thousand to the Aging and Long-term Services Department to

serve meals to low-income senior citizens at schools in the Gadsden school district. Any

unexpended or encumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The funds contained in SB 521 are not included in the FY09 budget request of the Aging and

Long-Term Services Department.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

ALTSD notes that their staff, particularly the Department's nutritionist, would work with the

Gadsden school district to implement this project. The Department's nutrition staff is currently

participating in the Doña Ana County Healthy Kids project. This project, funded by the National

Governors’ Association, is designed to create a safe, accessible, and adequate infrastructure that

Senate Bill 521 – Page

2

expands opportunities to increase physical activity and pro-mote healthy eating for children,

youth, and families, including elders. Senior volunteers are being recruited to help organize

intergenerational community events; an intergenerational meal site in the Gadsden school district

would be a perfect compliment to this initiative. The ALTSD nutrition staff would provide

training and technical assistance. Intergenerational interaction has been shown to increase

wellbeing for both children and elders. Additionally, seniors in Gadsden with limited incomes

would receive a daily meal to enhance their nutritional status and, as such, this initiative is

consistent with a statewide initiative to end hunger for all New Mexicans.

PED notes that currently, senior volunteers assigned by the schools’ principals to monitor or

tutor school children during the lunch-serving period are categorized as “Program Adults" by the

food service program. A lunch is given to a “senior citizen volunteer" free of charge, which is

permissible under USDA guidance. Senior volunteers not assigned by the schools or who are

visitors to the school must pay for a meal if they eat in the school cafeteria. The average charge

of an adult meal ranges from $2.25 to $3.00 in New Mexico. Seniors in the schools include

foster grandparents, who devote their volunteer time to give one-to-one daily attention to

children with special needs, tutor children in reading, mentor teenagers and young mothers and

give emotional support to abused and neglected children. This assistance from senior volunteers

is an ongoing need. They serve as mentors in communities and are an asset in intergenerational

activities.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

ALTSD has the ability to contract and monitor these funds using existing staff and resources.

GG/nt