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

SPONSOR Garcia, M.J.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1-20-06

1/24/06 HB

SHORT TITLE NMSU Space & Aerospace Research Program

SB 121

ANALYST Dearing

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$200.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to:

SB1 General Appropriation act of 2006

SB 3 New Mexico Space Grant Consortium

SB38

NMSU Aerospace Engineering Programs

SB119 NMSU Science, Math & Engineering Academy

SB120 NMSU Aerospace Engineering Department

HB7 General Appropriation act of 2006

HB 140 New Mexico Space Grant Consortium

HB154 NMSU Aerospace Engineering Program

HB158 NMSU Science, Math & Aerospace Academy

HB159 NMSU Space and Aerospace Research Program

HB167 Create NMSU Aerospace Research Program

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 121 appropriate $200,000 from the General Fund to the New Mexico State Univer-

sity Board of Regents for the purpose of supporting the Space & Aerospace education initiatives

at NMSU. The program facilitates extensive collaboration with state partners, including the

Senate Bill No.121 – Page

2

Southern New Mexico Spaceport, other NM research universities, state and federal agencies, K-

12 schools, the New Mexico located National Laboratories of Sandia and Los Alamos, state and

regional economic development organizations, and the private aerospace sector. This program

will work to establish state-wide partnerships in the space and aerospace discipline. Funds will

be used to establish research and training programs of a cross-disciplinary nature, and industry

development in space-related technologies with application to government and commercial sec-

tors. Special emphasis will be placed on interactions that can help develop the research and edu-

cational initiatives surrounding development of a Southwest Regional Spaceport in Upham, NM.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of two-hundred thousand dollars 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

Information submitted by NMSU indicates that this proposal is supported by the NMSU Board

of Regents. However, it was not submitted to the Higher Education Department (HED) for con-

sideration during the funding recommendation development process. Consequently, no recom-

mendation for this purpose is included in the higher education funding recommendations for fis-

cal year 2007.

According to NMSU, this bill attempts to create synergy and coordination across New Mexico in

Space and Aerospace research and development through, workshops and training for K-12, un-

dergraduate and graduate students (workforce development), increased and diversified revenues

(diversified funding) from intellectual property development, technology translation, practical

applications of research discoveries, recruitment of diverse faculty and students into program

research and education projects, and the construction of joint industry/NMSU proposals and re-

search projects. These proposed activities will be carried out by the faculty and staff at NMSU.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Program seeks to fulfill goals including:

•

Goal of at least 700 participants in K-12 outreach programs, 7 new assistantships, 14 new

internships, and 2 new cross-disciplinary courses

•

Goal of an increase of 3% in the number of women, minority, and disabled students par-

ticipating in aerospace-related degree programs

•

Goal of at least 6 institutions with at least 35 NMSU faculty members working on joint

projects and proposals have a target value of at least $1M.

Senate Bill No.121 – Page

3

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Relates to:

SB1 General Appropriation act of 2006

SB 3 New Mexico Space Grant Consortium

SB38

NMSU Aerospace Engineering Programs

SB119 NMSU Science, Math & Engineering Academy

SB120 NMSU Aerospace Engineering Department

HB7 General Appropriation act of 2006

HB 140 New Mexico Space Grant Consortium

HB154 NMSU Aerospace Engineering Program

HB158 NMSU Science, Math & Aerospace Academy

HB159 NMSU Space and Aerospace Research Program

HB167 Create NMSU Aerospace Research Program

Senate Bill 121 relates to the aforementioned list of proposed legislation. This list of related bills

has in common the request to appropriate funding for programs that directly relate to: aerospace,

aerospace engineering degree programs, and NMSU technical, scientific, mathematics, and re-

search programs. SB 121 is specifically related to research programs within the field of aero-

space at NMSU.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education pro-

grams within secondary institutions within New Mexico have recently been high-lighted as is-

sues that are at the forefront of the New Mexico Federal Congressional Delegation’s funding and

legislative initiatives. This initiative is an effort to promote New Mexico’s development of a

technically proficient state population that is able to compete in attracting investment at both the

national and global level in high-tech manufacturing, engineering and research.

There is an established correlation among STEM education programs and related research and

incrementally higher rates of high-wage employment.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

Not enacting this bill could increase difficulties in attracting diversified sources of federal and

private R&D funding to New Mexico. Lowered levels of technical and R&D spending can cor-

relate to negative impact(s) on economic development, including minimized technical develop-

ment of the workforce.

PD/nt