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Committee backs reporting requirement for public-safety radio trunking after stripping appropriation
Summary
The House Appropriations & Finance Committee approved a do-pass recommendation for HB192 as amended, removing a one-time appropriation and requiring the Department of Information Technology to report subscriber numbers annually to the Legislative Finance Committee to inform future budgeting.
The House Appropriations & Finance Committee on Dec. 5 advanced House Bill 192 as amended, a measure aimed at improving accounting and planning for the state’s public-safety radio trunking system.
Representative Hernandez, who presented the bill, said it is intended as “a little bit of a cleanup bill” to ensure accurate reporting on usage of the trunked radio system managed by the Department of Information Technology (DoIT). Chief Eric Masterson described how trunking improved interoperability during the Ruidoso fire and subsequent flooding, saying multiple partner agencies — including federal partners — were able to coordinate communications during large incidents.
The committee accepted Amendment 231700.1, offered by Representative Hernandez, which removes the bill’s appropriation while leaving reporting requirements intact. Representative Dow moved the amendment and Vice Chair Dixon seconded; the committee adopted it with no recorded opposition.
Supporters at the hearing emphasized the financial strain on small jurisdictions. John Garcia, a former Sandoval County deputy county manager, said DoIT’s current subscriber fee — $20 per radio — can be burdensome for rural communities and that an appropriation is the most reliable way to secure participation. DoIT Cabinet Secretary Manny Barretas said the system currently includes about 60 agencies, is roughly 60% built out and supports more than 10,000 users now; he estimated roughly 13,000 users by next year.
Deputy Chief Jared Zuniga of Eddy County Fire Rescue said joining the state system last year brought about $14,000,000 in infrastructure to the statewide network, and warned that if subsidies were discontinued some agencies might drop subscriptions and interoperability would suffer.
Committee members asked whether funding exists for the current year; members were told there is a $20,000,000 special appropriation to DoIT that encompasses some of the related costs this year. HB192 as amended requires DoIT to report subscriber counts and usage to the Legislative Finance Committee annually so budget requests can match actual demand.
Vice Chair Dixon moved a do-pass recommendation on HB192 as amended; Representative Dow seconded and the motion carried with no opposition. The committee’s recommendation now moves to the next stage of legislative consideration.
