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 Garcia, T.

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/23/08

HB 81

SHORT TITLE NM Highlands Bilingual Education

SB

ANALYST Cox

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$260.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 81 requests an appropriation of $260,000 from General Fund to the Board of Regents

of New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) for expenditure in FY09 to pay for bilingual

education materials statewide for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade and for

production of a monthly periodical, digitizing of materials, and production of a weekly radio

show.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

HED states that a request was submitted by NMHU to the New Mexico Higher Education

Department (NMHED) for review. HED's funding recommendation for FY09 is a continuance of

FY08 recurring funding in the amount of $260,000 with no additional funding at this time.

The appropriation of two hundred sixty thousand dollars ($260,000) contained in this bill is a

recurring expense to the General Fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at

the end of Fiscal Year 2009 shall revert to the General Fund.

The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC

classifies this project as a “would not oppose if funding available" project. Reasons for this

House Bill 81 – Page

2

classification decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education Department

Review of Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table 4, p. 74.)

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

HED states that the NMHU Bilingual Education Materials Program preserves and promotes the

Hispano culture and language of New Mexico statewide, nationally and internationally. This is

accomplished by producing bilingual educational materials for schools and other educational

institutions as well as for public use. These materials promote the culture by sustaining and

augmenting the use of the Spanish language, by promoting literacy in Spanish and English, and

providing insight into other aspects of the Hispano culture.

NMHU notes that the goal of the program is to produce and distribute the following materials:

•

AMIGOS monthly periodical.

•

Aspectos Culturales radio program.

•

Trainings.

•

Digitalization of materials.

•

Other publications and presentations.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

If funded, NMHED recommends that NMHU develop a plan for this initiative that includes

project goals and objectives as well as timelines and outcomes, including dissemination and use

of materials. This should be submitted to NMHED no later that October 2008. Performance

should eventually be aligned with the Public Education Department (PED) and NMHED

standards, putting a framework in place that will measure success according to an assessment

plan.

PRC/jp