NOTE: As provided in LFC policy, this report is
intended only for use by the standing finance committees of the
legislature. The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume
responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used for
other purposes.
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SPONSOR: |
Sanchez, B. |
DATE TYPED: |
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HB |
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SHORT TITLE: |
NM Rail Passenger Study |
SB |
640/aSFC |
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ANALYST: |
Baca |
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APPROPRIATION
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
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FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
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See
Narrative |
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(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates
to Appropriation for the
Responses
Received From
Commission on Higher Education (CHE)
SUMMARY
Synopsis
of SFC Amendment
The Senate Finance Committee has amended Senate
Bill 640 to eliminate the $200.0 appropriation contained in the original bill.
It is presumed that, with the elimination of the
appropriation, the costs associated with conducting this study will be absorbed
by existing budgets.
Synopsis
of Original Bill
Senate Bill 640
appropriates $200.0 to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico
(UNM) so the Alliance for Transportation Research (ATR), in collaboration with
the State Highway and Transportation Department (NMHTD), can a conduct a
feasibility study regarding the potential for a passenger rail service linking
the El Paso-Juarez metropolitan area with New Mexico cities along the Rio
Grande corridor and continuing to Denver, Colorado. The ATR is required to submit its report to
the governor and the Legislature.
Significant
Issues
The issues identified in the bill are:
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 (CHE) for review.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of
$200.0 contained in this bill is a non-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.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
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