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

SPONSOR:	Taylor, J.G.		DATE TYPED:	2/26/03		HB	957
SHORT TITLE:		NM & American Southwest Studies				SB
					ANALYST:		L. Baca

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
	$250.0			Recurring	GF

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 703, Center For Regional Studies.

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

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Responses Received From

Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 957 appropriates $250.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico for the Center for Regional Studies for support, curriculum development, research and instruction for courses related to New Mexico and the American Southwest.

Significant Issues

The Center for Regional Studies (CRS) is located in the General Library at UNM and was created in 1988-89 to promote research, teaching and learning about New Mexico and the Southwest. Through its research, the CRS seeks to uncover the past and relate to the present, thereby contributing to knowledge about the civilizations of the region while encouraging comparisons and relationships to other regions. The work of the CRS can also lead to greater interest in and awareness of the region’s historic past by those who are not scholars by profession.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $250.0 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.

AMENDMENTS

The CHE suggests adding the following language for all new recurring higher education programs (assuming that funding will continue beyond 2003-2004):

“A plan for a program evaluation, including specific program goals and criteria for assessing program effectiveness, shall be submitted to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on Higher Education by October 1, 2004. An assessment of the program will be completed prior to June 30, 2005, and submitted to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on Higher Education.”

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

This request was not included in UNM’s budget request to the UNM Board of Regents, and thus was not included in the list of priority projects submitted by UNM to the Commission on Higher Education for review.

LRB/njw