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

SPONSOR Boykin

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2-1-2006

HB 52

SHORT TITLE NMSU Info Sciences Security Program

SB

ANALYST Dearing

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Economic Development Department (EDD)

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 52 appropriates $200,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico State University

Board of Regents for expenditure in fiscal year 2007 to support an information sciences and se-

curity systems research collaborative program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $200,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Critical security and safety issues arising within the border region are increasingly related to in-

telligence issues that are of concern for both the U.S. in general and New Mexico in particular.

House Bill 52 – Page

2

This bill provides partial support for the identification and development of research teams to ad-

dress large scale interdisciplinary projects in information sciences, security systems in particular,

focusing on the issues of national security and intelligence work.

Studies of this nature are enhanced through collaboration researchers in a variety of disciplines

working on the project. Integration of research disciplines has not yet been accomplished within

this research area.

Examples of large-scale programs within this research area include identification of critical bot-

tlenecks affecting Critical Incident Responding Teams (CIRT’s), and the creation of sensors to

detect Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear/Radioactive (CBR) agents arising from incidents origi-

nating just beyond U.S. borders, yet due to prevailing wind and weather patterns, directly affect-

ing all residents of the border region.

In general, due to the complexity and imperative nature of coordinating CIRTs’ actions during a

critical event, it is beneficial and cost-effective to utilize pre-planning, using modeling which can

account for differing scenarios, as opposed to actual community-wide “fire drills.” Developing

sophisticated modeling tools can be greatly facilitated through an inter-disciplinary method, us-

ing researchers of different backgrounds, possessing various and complementary skill-sets. Ad-

ditionally, synergistic returns on inter-disciplinary research initiatives can occur, saving both

time and money.

In developing sensors for (CBR) pathogens and/or agents, many research skill-sets are necessary

in order to create a comprehensive plan which takes into account critical variables such as dis-

persal method, time-series estimations of prevailing wind & weather, engineering, environ-

mental, and health issues. Accordingly, Meteorology, Sociology, Health, Math, Biology, Engi-

neering, Environmental, and lastly, Psychology are major disciplines which must corroborate

when developing an all encompassing critical event detection and response plan. Again, syner-

gistic returns on this inter-disciplinary research initiative can provide a cost and effort saving re-

sult.

This legislative proposal seeks an appropriation to support the development of teams of re-

searchers to address problems similar to these.

This proposal was submitted through research, Public Service and Special Program Requests to

the Higher Education Department by NMSU. The Executive Office did not include this request

on the funding recommendations.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Goals to be attained:

1.

Let People Know of the Expertise at NMSU to Enable Public/Private Partnering.

Outcome Performance Assessment:

To provide 1 or more opportunities for existing projects to show-case their work so that the

NMSU and surrounding communities can see existing streams of work and arenas for future

work by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.

House Bill 52 – Page

3

2.

Seek Other Funding Sources to Pursue Large Scale Proposals.

Outcome Performance Assessment:

To provide opportunities for collaborative and interdisciplinary responses and to submit at least 2

proposals to large scale requests for proposals (RFPs) before the start of the 2007-2008 school

year. NMSU plans to hire a professional in order to solicit a broader variety of funding sources.

3.

Facilitate Public/Private Partnering.

Outcome Performance Assessment:

NMSU intends to act as a recruiting and matching mechanism for for-profit organizations, re-

search institutions such as the national labs, other outside universities, outside individual re-

searchers and researchers campus-wide to enable joint projects which have as an integral com-

ponent the broadest understanding and use of information technology, sensors used in security

and safety issues, and the associated social sciences and especially those integrating these con-

cepts by:

Hiring a web-master and establishing a web infrastructure to support program activity by the

start of the 2006-2007 school year.

NMSU will provide an opportunity for existing and potential partners in funding and founders to

meet in an informal networking opportunity by the start of the 2006-2007 school year.

4.

Develop Future Researchers, Outreach, & Commercialization Projects

Outcome Performance Assessment:

Jointly providing general instruction in technology transfer and commercialization of research to

associated researchers, using existing programs and relationships within this area. Identifying

and funneling appropriate new inventions, new software programs, and other patentable or com-

mercially relevant research products into the NMSU technology transfer program.

Outcome Performance Assessment:

Providing outreach opportunities and/or spokespersons to encourage K-12 students to enroll in

existing K-12 programs sponsored by NMSU.

Outcome Performance Assessment:

To develop and present to appropriate committees several structured interdisciplinary ma-

jors and minors at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Outcome Performance Assessment: To provide seed money grants to teams of research-

ers and or to fund graduate assistantships to enable them to create proof of concept tools

and to ultimately write a large scale grant proposal.

House Bill 52 – Page

4

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

NMSU will not be able to formally support the pursuit of larger scale interdisciplinary

projects in a coordinated and targeted fashion, thus its reputation in the areas of Information Sci-

ences and Security Systems will be diminished.

Not obtaining these outside funded projects could mean foregone economic development and

input the New Mexico economy in particular and the southern New Mexico economy in particu-

lar.

Additionally, without passage of this bill, NMSU will lose a valuable means of diversifying their

funding base in future periods, through foregone product and technology rights development.

Research and Development funding can contribute significant funding to the expansion and es-

tablishment of future academic and research programs through the licensing and commercializa-

tion of its results.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

Are federal matching funds already forthcoming for this program.

PD/nt