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

SPONSOR Maestas

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/12/2007

HB 1073

SHORT TITLE

UNM Latino & Latina Law Student Conference

SB

ANALYST Moser

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$50.0

Non-Rec

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

NM Department of Higher Education (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 1073 appropriates $50,000 from the General Fund to the University of New Mexico

(UNM) for expenditure in FY08 for the Mexican American Law Student Association (MALSA)

of the UNM School of Law to host a National Latino and Latina Law Student Conference

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $50,000 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

UNM School of Law has consistently ranked among the top Hispanic-serving law schools in the

country. The law school plays a significant role in serving the state, working with legislators,

judges, and leaders of economic and community development organizations. Hosting the

National Latina/o Law Student Association (NLLSA) conference would increase the visibility of

House Bill 1073 – Page

2

New Mexico’s only law school.

The NLLSA serves as a conduit for a collective Latina/Latino law student voice. It is a non-

partisan organization driven by a progressive agenda that protects and advances the civil rights of

Latinas and Latinos in law school and in their respective communities. NLLSA is dedicated to

promoting and sustaining the academic success of Latina and Latino law students.

The NLLSA conference attracts approximately 400 students each year. Applications to host the

conference are due in November for the following fall event. Selected states are expected to raise

no less than $65,000 to host the conference. The organization promotes responsible

fundraising by not accepting funds from any organization that does not practice the highest

standards of ethics. States that have hosted the conference in the past are Washington, Colorado,

and California; the 11th annual 2007 conference will be in Wisconsin.

Throughout the years, MALSA has established itself as one of the largest and most active groups

at the UNM School of Law, with a diverse membership of students from different ethnicities,

cultures, and backgrounds. MALSA was founded in the 1970s by a group of UNM law students

seeking to promote the advancement of Hispanics in higher education. The students goal was to

build a support network for Hispanic law students by focusing on the academic and social

interests and needs of Hispanic students.

This request was not submitted by UNM to HED for review and is not included in the

department’s funding recommendation for FY08.

GM/mt