SM 97 — LAS VEGAS PANHANDLING ISSUES

SENATE MEMORIAL 97 54TH LEGISLATURE- STATE OF NEW MEXICO - FIRST SESSIO, 2019 INTRODUCED BY Pete Campos 6 8 10 A MEMORIAL ENCOURAGING A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT TO ADDRESS ISSUES CAUSING AND STEMMING FROM PANHANDLING NEAR LAS VEGAS BUSINESSES.

145 WHEREAS, the New Mexico behavioral health institute at Las Vegas, New Mexico, is the only publicly funded psychiatric hospital in New Mexico and serves adults from throughout the e t 17 state;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, the New Mexico behavioral health institute = = 19 a l provides adult psychiatric services to approximately one i a e r 20 thousand patients per year;

and a t m m 21 WHEREAS, planning for discharge and after-care of each d r e 22 patient begins at the time of admission but, at times, c e s k 23 community resources may not exist in the patient's community of e a n b 24 origin;

and u [ WHEREAS, hundreds of patients without a safety net are .212064.1 discharged into the Las Vegas area every year and often become housed in unregulated boarding homes;

and SM 97 Page 1 WHEREAS, other municipalities, such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe, have experienced legal issues pertaining to enforcement of their panhandling ordinances;

and WHEREAS, the boarding homes that house many panhandlers e e 17 might serve as a helpful resource to individuals in need and be e e n d 18 best suited to work with individuals who may be unaware of, or = = l ] 19 not have access to, alternatives to panhandling;

and a l r i 20 WHEREAS, a dialogue among the New Mexico behavioral health t e a t institute, boarding home owners and managers, local business m m 21 e d r e 22 owners, the city of Las Vegas, San Miguel county and Las Vegas c e r c 23 residents who panhandle would be helpful in searching for e a n b 24 solutions to mitigate the need for panhandling and to identify u [ other alternatives;

and .212064.1 - 2 - WHEREAS, such a dialogue could prove useful in helping to address the issue of panhandling in other areas of the state;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that representatives of the New Mexico behavioral health institute, boarding home owners and managers, business owners, the city of Las Vegas, San Miguel county and Las Vegas residents who panhandle be encouraged to identify root causes of and solutions for panhandling in SM 97 Page 2 Las Vegas;

and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the executive director of the New Mexico behavioral health institute, Las Vegas boarding home owners, the mayor of the city of Las Vegas, commissioners of San Miguel county and the president of the Las Vegas-SanVegas- San Miguel chamber of commerce.

-SM 397 -Page e3 e9 1725 e e n d 18 = = l ] 19 a l r i 20 t e a t m m 21 e d r e 22 c e r c 23 e a n b 24 u [ .212064.1