Fiscal impact reports (FIRs) are prepared by the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) for standing finance

committees of the NM Legislature. The LFC does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of these reports

if they are used for other purposes.

Current FIRs (in HTML & Adobe PDF formats) are a vailable on the NM Legislative Website (legis.state.nm.us).

Adobe PDF versions include all attachments, whereas HTML versions may not. Previously issued FIRs and

attachments may be obtained from the LFC in Suite 101 of the State Capitol Building North.

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

SPONSOR Madalena

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1-25-06

HB 99

SHORT TITLE NMSU American Indian Program

SB

ANALYST Dearing

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$62.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to HB 103

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Public Education Department (PED)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 99 appropriates $62,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico State University

Board of Regents (NMSU) for the purpose of hiring an American Indian Program recruiter in

order to recruit students to increase the number of Native students attending the university in fis-

cal year 2007.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $62,000 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.

Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) has recommended an appropriation of $371,400 for Indian

Resources Development in fiscal year 2007. This bill’s appropriation seeks similar funding in

House Bill 99 – Page

2

addition to the aforementioned LFC recommendation of $371,400. This appropriation is not

listed as a New Mexico State University Board of Regents’ approved legislative priorities for the

2007 fiscal year.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

NMSU is a land-grant institution located in southern New Mexico. Because of its location,

NMSU finds it difficult to recruit Native American students. Currently, there are approximately

five hundred Native American students enrolled at NMSU who make up three percent (3%) of

the total student population. NMSU’s goal is to increase the number of Native students attending

the university.

The NMSU American Indian Program (AIP) does not currently have a recruiter. Therefore, re-

cruitment and outreach efforts to the twenty-two New Mexico Indian Tribes, Nations and Pueb-

los are conducted by the AIP staff. The appropriation would fund a recruiter position specifi-

cally assigned to AIP. The recruiter would be charged with outreach efforts, particularly to the

remote tribal communities such as NM’s Navajo Nation Chapters.

New Mexico is home to more than 147,000 Indian citizens. The state also boasts the largest

number of American Indian land-based nations. Census data reports that Native Americans ac-

count for 10% of the state’s population.

Current data for Native American students at NMSU branches:

Alamogordo 67 students

Carlsbad 11 students

Dona Ana 142 students

Grants 264 students

Main 469 students

The goal of the American Indian Program at NMSU is to provide services designed to enable

more American Indian students to successfully achieve their post-secondary goals. Enrollment of

Native American students at NMSU comprises approximately 3% of the student body popula-

tion. Native American student enrollment at NMSU does not accurately reflect New Mexico's

Native American population. A recruiter for American Indians at NMSU will be responsible for

traveling the state to conduct recruitment outreach to American Indian communities. There are

currently three staff positions in the American Indian program, however, these positions are

tasked with responsibilities in addition to the recruiting of American Indian students. NMSU is

geographically removed from the larger Navajo reservation, Apache reservations, and the Pueblo

nations of central and northern New Mexico. Recruiting outreach programs can have a dramatic

effect on the enrollment of this historically underrepresented group.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

A report compiled by the New Mexico Higher Education Department regarding the recruitment

and retention of Native American and Hispanic students documented the achievement gap be-

tween higher education enrollment of American Indian students and the state's population. In ad-

dition, colleges and universities, as well as individual tribal higher education departments, re-

ported that one-to-one contact, through outreach programs, for recruitment and retention is im-

House Bill 99 – Page

3

portant to the success of American Indian students.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The American Indian Program at NMSU will be responsible for the oversight of a recruiter for

American Indian students.

Though not indicated in HB99, the recruiter position (1 FTE) may be a permanent position. It is

unknown how the costs for a recruiter position will be maintained in future years.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, OR RELATION

HB103 is requesting an appropriation from the General Fund in the amount of $52,000 for a

counselor for the American Indian Program at NMSU. The two positions as requested in HB99

and HB 103, for a recruiter and a counselor respectively, are attempts to close the enrollment gap

of American Indian students at NMSU.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Without the addition of an AIP recruiter, the AIP regular staff will have to continue their out-

reach and recruitment efforts in addition to their normal job responsibilities. Additionally, it may

be logistically difficult for NMSU recruiting staff to visit more distant tribal communities,

thereby negatively impacting the University’s goal of increasing the number of Native American

students, as well as diminishing the number of future college degree attaining individuals within

the State’s Native American population.

PD/nt