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

SPONSOR Gutierrez

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/29/07

HB 108

SHORT TITLE NMSU Graduate Assistantship Program

SB

ANALYST Baca

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$240.0 Non-Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University (NMSU)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 108 appropriates $240,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New

Mexico State University (NMSU) for expenditure in FY08 to pay for the Community Service

Graduate Assistantship Program.

Significant Issues

NMSU and HED report that the primary purpose of the New Mexico State University

Community Service Graduate Assistantship Program is to attract graduate students to careers in

the state of New Mexico. A key objective of the program is to engage graduate students in

community and economic development activities within the state while they are enrolled as

students. In addition to their studies, students will work 200 or more hours a year in a

government agency, non-profit organization or business within the state of New Mexico.

The allocation would support 6 graduate students and is proposed to provide 2,400 hours of

community and economic development service to the state businesses and public and non-profit

organizations and 8,640 hours of campus services as teaching assistants over a two year period.

House Bill 105 – Page

2

This is a pilot project which will be evaluated at the end of the two year period. Employer and

student satisfaction surveys will be used as part of the evaluation process. If successful, the next

stage of the pilot project is to include additional institutions of higher learning within the state.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $240,000 contained in this bill is a non-recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the

general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

This proposal was submitted to the New Mexico Higher Education Department by New Mexico

State University and was not included in the Department’s funding recommendations for FY08.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

The community service graduate assistantship program will not be implemented as

proposed.

LRB/mt