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

SPONSOR

Luna

DATE TYPED 03-11-05 HB 268/aHAFC

SHORT TITLE Create New Mexico Government Education Fund SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

No Responses Received From

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HAFC Amendment

House Appropriation and Finance Committee amendment to HB268 amends the legislation by

removing the appropriation as follows:

•

On page 1, line 12: removing the language “; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION”.

•

On page 2: removing Section 2 in its entirety.

There is now no appropriation attached to this legislation.

House Bill 268/aHAFC -- Page 2

Original Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 268 – Relating to Education; Creating the New Mexico Government Education Fund;

Making an Appropriation – creates the New Mexico Government Education Fund (“the fund”) in

the state treasury subject to the following guidelines:

•

The fund shall consist of appropriations by the legislature, gifts, grants and donations;

•

It shall be administered by the department. Money in the fund is appropriated to the de-

partment to contract for annual, week-long, high school civics courses focusing on New

Mexico state government for boys and girls to be held at varying post-secondary educa-

tional institutions in New Mexico.

•

Disbursements from the fund shall be made by warrant of the Department of Finance and

Administration pursuant to vouchers signed by the secretary.

•

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal

year shall not revert but shall remain to the credit of the fund.

Additionally, the bill appropriates $50,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico Govern-

ment Education Fund for expenditure in FY06 and subsequent fiscal years to contract for annual,

week-long, high school civics courses focusing on New Mexico state government for boys and

girls to be held at varying post-secondary educational institutions in New Mexico. Any unex-

pended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the gen-

eral fund.

Significant Issues:

PED indicates this legislation would direct PED to contract for services to support an annual

high school civics program focusing on New Mexico state government for boys and girls, and

provide a resource to support student understanding of the social studies standards and the im-

plementation of standards-based learning. It is to be a weeklong program and housed at an insti-

tution of higher learning; although the location of the program can change, as needed, from year

to year.

Typically, PED notes, such a program would provide hands-on experience in the operation of a

democratic form of government and how political parties are organized and interact in shaping

New Mexico government. The program would promote a non-partisan perspective through an

objective educational approach. Participants would be exposed to the rights, privileges, duties

and responsibilities of a franchised citizen. The training would be practical with city, county and

state governments operated by the students elected to various offices and would support a core

strand of the New Mexico Content Standards, Benchmarks and Performance Standards in civics

and government.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $50,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall not revert to the

general fund.

House Bill 268/aHAFC -- Page 3

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

PED anticipates that the creation of this fund to support the annual, week-long, high school civ-

ics courses focusing on New Mexico state government for both boys and girls would require a

staff person to develop an RFP and award a contract to establish these annual courses. An ac-

count and processes to establish receiving and expending from this fund will also need to be es-

tablished. Staff responsibilities would need to include monitoring the implementation of the

courses and the appropriation, gifts, grants and donations of this fund. PED estimates costs to

oversee this program would be approximately $3,800 per annum.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP

Relates to the appropriation for the Public Education Department in the General Appropriations

Act.

BFW/lg