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

SPONSOR McSorley

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/7/06

HB

SHORT TITLE Expand UNM Graduate Research Program

SB 282

ANALYST Hoffmann

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

$500.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Senate Bill 514/FCS.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 282 appropriates $500,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the Uni-

versity of New Mexico for the incremental expansion of the university’s graduate research pro-

gram.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $500,000 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.

Senate Bill 282 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The University of New Mexico submitted a request for $32,000 to the Higher Education De-

partment for expansion of this program in fiscal year 2007.

Both the Executive budget recommendation and the LFC’s appropriation recommendation in-

clude $71,500 for this purpose.

According to the Higher Education Department, the mission of the Graduate Research Develop-

ment Fund is to provide graduate and professional students the financial opportunity to pursue

research and develop public service interests pertaining to their specialized area of study, while

strengthening UNM’s mission to develop into a superior research institution.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The Higher Education Department provided the following information on how the funds are dis-

tributed to graduate research projects at UNM.

Priority is given to those applicants whose research addresses a relevant area of societal need not

met by any other program or institution in New Mexico.

Priority is given to those applicants whose research is in collaboration with a New Mexico state

agency.

Funds will be allocated on a competitive basis to students who submit proposals that are evalu-

ated by a committee of administration, faculty, and graduate/professional students in a wide

range of disciplines, with special consideration to those applicants whose research had a direct

impact on the state of New Mexico.

CH/mt