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

 

 

 

SPONSOR:

Madalena

 

DATE TYPED:

2/9/04

 

HB

459

 

SHORT TITLE:

UNM Institute for American Indian Education

 

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST:

L. Baca

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY04

FY05

FY04

FY05

 

 

 

$100.0

 

 

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC files

Commission on Higher Education funding Recommendations for FY05 (CHE)

 

Responses Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

Office of Indian Affairs (OIA)

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of Bill

 

House Bill 459 appropriates $100 thousand to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico (UNM to operate the Institute for American Indian Education in the College of Education (COE) at UNM.

 

     Significant Issues

 

According to the OIA, the COE at UNM hopes to establish a national Institute for American Indian Education. Several COE faculty members are spearheading the initiative and have the support of the Dean of COE.  The appropriation would be used as seed money to establish the institute with the COE providing in-kind support of an amount not yet determined. Generally, the mission of the institute will be to increase the achievement of Native Americans, increase the retention of Native American students and to provide training and support to teachers who work with Native Americans.  One of the purposes of this institute, it seems, will be to recruit and retain students in the COE so more Native Americans become teachers and School Administrators.

 

Other colleges at UNM have similar “institutes” that are used to attract Native Americans to their respective fields. (See OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES.) 

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

The appropriation of $100 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY05 shall revert to the General Fund.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

 

The PED suggests that the sponsor needs to clarify the intent of the Institute for American Indian Education, identify the expected outcomes for Native American students, and indicate whether the Institute for American Indian Education will provide services to students to UNM branches that large percents of Native American students, such as Gallup.

 

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

The PED reports that UNM already provides the following services to Native American students and suggests the institute may be duplicating some of the services already provided:

 

  • Pre-Law Summer Institute for American Indians and Alaska Natives,
  • American Indian Law Center,
  • American Indian Student Services,
  • Native American Program, College of Engineering,
  • Native American Studies,
  • Tribal Resources Institute in Business,
  • Engineering and Science and American Indian Student Services.
     

This proposal was not among the funding priorities for FY05 presented by the UNM Board of Regents to the CHE.  Consequently, the Commission did not review it.

 

LB/njw:lg