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





SPONSOR: Hobbs DATE TYPED: 05/05/99 HB 3
SHORT TITLE: Post of Duty for PRC SB
ANALYST: Valenzuela


APPROPRIATION



Appropriation Contained
Estimated Additional Impact
 Recurring

or Non-Rec

 Fund

Affected

FY99 FY2000 FY99 FY2000
(There are Fiscal Implications if this bill is not passed - see narrative)



(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)



Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to



SOURCES OF INFORMATION



LFC Files



SUMMARY



Synopsis of Bill



House Bill 3 adds a new subsection to the "Public Regulation Commission Act". The new subsection requires each commissioner to devote full time to the position, designates the "post of duty" for the elected commissioners as Santa Fe, New Mexico, and prohibits mileage and per diem reimbursement for travel from the commissioners home districts and Santa Fe.



Significant Issues



The Mileage and Per Diem Act clearly states a public officer can receive reimbursement for travel expenses from their "post of duty" to official meetings and business, as long as it is not regular and frequent travel. The "Public Regulation Commission Act" failed to define the "post of duty" for the commissioners. Consequently, in an effort to receive travel reimbursements to commission meetings in Santa Fe, the Public Regulation Commissioners voted to designate their "post of duty" as their home districts, which would have allowed them to file for travel reimbursements.



The legislative appropriation to the Public Regulation Commission, however, did not include funding for these travel expenses. In fact, the Legislature increased each commissioner's salaries to offset these potential increased costs of residing in Santa Fe.



FISCAL IMPLICATIONS



House Bill 3 does not contain an appropriation, however, if the bill is not enacted, Commissioners would be able to file for travel reimbursements. The estimated costs range from $30.0 to $50.0 a year, dependent upon the number and duration of Commission meetings.



ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS



The administrative impact of House Bill 3 is negligible.



POSSIBLE QUESTIONS



MFV/gm