A. There is created in the state treasury the "traffic safety education and enforcement fund". The fund shall be invested in accordance with the provisions of Section 6-10-10 NMSA 1978 and all income earned on the fund shall be credited to the fund.
B. The traffic safety education and enforcement fund shall be used to institute and promote a statewide program of traffic safety through education and enforcement to reduce serious and fatal traffic accidents and to provide for the purchase of equipment and support services as are necessary to establish and maintain the program.
C. No less than fifty percent of the money deposited in the traffic safety education and enforcement fund shall be allocated to the law enforcement agency that issued the citation, provided the agency has submitted a traffic safety program plan that is approved by the traffic safety bureau of the state highway and transportation department. Law enforcement agencies shall use the money allocated from the fund to purchase equipment, including equipment for making fingerprint impressions of all persons arrested for or convicted of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, and support services as are necessary to establish and maintain a traffic safety program.
D. No less than twenty percent of the money deposited in the traffic safety education and enforcement fund shall be allocated to institute and promote traffic safety education programs.
E. The balance of the money deposited in the traffic safety education and enforcement fund shall be allocated to existing traffic safety programs.
F. The traffic safety bureau of the state highway and transportation department shall adopt all rules, regulations and policies necessary to administer a statewide traffic program.
G. All money credited to the traffic safety education and enforcement fund shall be appropriated to the traffic safety bureau of the state highway and transportation department for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section and shall not revert to the general fund.
History: Laws 1990, ch. 57, § 1; 1997, ch. 242, § 4.
ANNOTATIONSCross references. — For penalty assessment fee in addition to the penalty assessment established for each penalty assessment misdemeanor, see 66-8-116.3 NMSA 1978.
For disposition of penalty assessment revenue, see 66-8-119 NMSA 1978.
The 1997 amendment, effective July 1, 1997, inserted "traffic safety education and enforcement" in Subsections C, D, and E, and inserted "including equipment for making fingerprint impressions of all persons arrested for or convicted of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs," in the second sentence in Subsection C.