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

SPONSOR:	Altamirano		DATE TYPED:	2/02/03		HB
SHORT TITLE:		UNM Wild Friends Program				SB	207
					ANALYST:		L. Baca

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
	$71.5			Recurring	GF

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation for the University of New Mexico in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Commission on Higher Education (CHE) Publications

Responses Received From

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 207 appropriates $71.5 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico (UNM) to increase the funding for the Wild Friends Program to $125.0.

Significant Issues

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education FINAL 2003-04, Higher Education Funding Recommendations, December 2002, does not show a program expansion request from the Board of Regents of UNM for this program. Consequently, the CHE did not review this request.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $71.5 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2004 shall revert to the general fund.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The bill appropriates funding for the Wild Friends program. However, the CHE “final recommendations” booklet lists the program as Wild Life Education.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The CHE suggests the following language for all new recurring higher education programs and expansion of current programs (assuming that funding will continue beyond 2002-2003):

“The institution receiving the appropriation in this bill submit a program evaluation to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on higher Education by August 2005 detailing the benefits to the State of New Mexico from having implemented this program over a three period.”

LRB/yr