SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 19

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Timothy M. Keller

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER STATE AGENCIES AND THE LEGISLATURE TO IDENTIFY AND MEASURE KEY INDICATORS OF THE WELFARE OF THE STATE, TO DEVELOP AND PUBLICIZE A BENCHMARKING REPORT TO COMPARE THESE INDICATORS WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHER STATES OVER TIME AND TO USE THESE INDICATORS AND MEASURES TO GUIDE STATEWIDE STRATEGIC PLANNING.

     WHEREAS, the national association of state auditors, comptrollers and treasurers, the government accounting standards board, the national governors association center for best practices and the city of Albuquerque have all embraced benchmarking as a valuable tool for managing government resources and improving performance; and

     WHEREAS, the Accountability in Government Act calls upon state agencies to be held accountable for the services and products they deliver in accordance with clearly defined missions, goals and objectives; and 

     WHEREAS, the legislative finance committee has published a guide to the evaluation of performance and accountability measures for state agencies; and

     WHEREAS, the governor's performance and accountability contract already calls upon state agencies to develop measures in the categories of economic growth, management of resources, protecting the environment and a safer New Mexico and to report quarterly on those measures; and

     WHEREAS, key performance indicators and measures should be an integral part of budgetary decision-making; and

     WHEREAS, these indicators and measures should be meaningful and tied to best practices and should be outcomes-based; and

     WHEREAS, executive agencies should strive to identify key indicators and measures that are concise and unambiguous; and

     WHEREAS, the legislature should be involved in the evaluation of performance and accountability indicators as developed and measured by state agencies; and

     WHEREAS, many statistics are already being accumulated that collectively provide a picture of the welfare of the state, but they are not being compared to similar statistics in other states;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of finance and administration in collaboration with other state agencies and the legislature be requested to identify and measure key indicators of the welfare of the state, develop and publicize a benchmarking report to compare these indicators with the experience of other states over time and use these indicators and measures to guide statewide strategic planning; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of finance and administration aggregate the results of the key indicators and measures and use these results to develop action plans to improve the welfare of the state; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the state agencies responsible for developing and using these key indicators and measures keep them consistent from year to year so that performance can be measured over time; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the appropriate interim legislative committees receive annual reports of these key indicators and measures from state agencies and deliberate on the meaning of their findings; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of finance and administration examine the experience of other states in generating a benchmarking report; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the benchmarking report be designed so that the results and findings of the report can be used over time to meet the requirements set forth in the Accountability in Government Act, to set performance measures for performance-based budgeting and to guide strategic planning efforts to meet the needs of New Mexico and set new standards for achievement; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of finance and administration and the chair of the legislative finance committee.

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