Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance
committees of the Legislature. LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports if they
are used for other purposes.
F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Dow/Small/Gallegos/Jones/Brown
LAST UPDATED
ORIGINAL DATE 2/14/25
SHORT TITLE “New Mexico Red & Green Chile Month”
BILL
NUMBER House Bill 172
ANALYST Lesemann
ESTIMATED ADDITIONAL OPERATING BUDGET IMPACT*
(dollars in thousands)
Agency/Program
FY25 FY26 FY27
3 Year
Total Cost
Recurring or
Nonrecurring
Fund
Affected
No fiscal
impact
No fiscal
impact
No fiscal
impact
Parentheses ( ) indicate expenditure decreases.
*Amounts reflect most recent analysis of this legislation.
Sources of Information
LFC Files
SUMMARY
Synopsis of House Bill 172
House Bill 172 (HB172) would establish August as “Red and Green Chile Month” in New
Mexico.
This bill does not contain an effective date and, as a result, would go into effect 90 days after the
Legislature adjourns if enacted, or June 20, 2025.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
This bill would have no fiscal impact.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The New Mexico Tourism Department provided the following analysis for Senate Bill 365 from
the 2023 legislative session, which would have appropriated funds for a statewide chile
marketing and promotional program:
Chile is an important cultural and culinary export in New Mexico and serves as an easily-
identifiable tourism product. Through extensive research, the tourism department has
found that cultural assets—including New Mexico’s unique cuisine—serve as the main
point of differentiation between us and our competitive set of states. Overnight visitors to
New Mexico report attending cultural activities in 48% of visits, a full 19 points higher
than the rest of the nation. Additionally, 50% of overnight visitors report seeking out
unique and local food while in New Mexico, 10 points higher than the national average.
SL2/hj