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

SPONSOR Hamilton

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/23/08

HB 194

SHORT TITLE WNMU Internet-Based Criminal Justice Program

SB

ANALYST Haug

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$175.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 194 appropriates $175.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of Western

New Mexico University to maintain and expand an internet-based criminal justice program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $175.0 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 states that this request was submitted by WNMU to the New Mexico Higher Education

Department for review, however was not included in the Executive’s funding recommendation

for FY09.

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

classifies this project as a “breach" of the Higher Education Formula. Reasons for this

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, p76.)

House Bill 194 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The HED states that the Western New Mexico University online and distance delivery Criminal

Justice program is designed to deliver education, training and professionalism to law

enforcement anywhere in New Mexico. Professional, well-trained law enforcement has never

been more important at the state’s border region:

•

Economic growth requires safety and security of property, infrastructure, and investment.

•

Growing law enforcement presence and activity in Southern New Mexico will increase

citizen contact with law enforcement, requiring increased professionalism in and from

law enforcement personnel.

•

Residents of New Mexico living adjacent to an international border need maximum

professionalism from law enforcement

Many New Mexican law enforcement officers serve and/or live in remote areas of the state

making access to traditional classroom education impossible.

According to the HED, this program is designed to develop online and distance delivery training

and education to enable law enforcement personnel to obtain training or a university degree

anywhere in New Mexico. Increased capacity to produce quality law enforcement officers

through technology will in turn impact the safety and quality of life in rural, urban, and suburban

communities in New Mexico.

GH/mt