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 Gardner

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/31/08

HB 553

SHORT TITLE NM Tech College Year Program

SB

ANALYST Haug

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$50.0

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 553 appropriates $50.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico

Institute of Mining and Technology for the “college year program at New Mexico Tech".

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $50.0 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 not submitted by NMIMT to the New Mexico Higher Edu-

cation Department for review. This request is not included in the Department’s execu-

tive funding recommendation for FY09. The college year program received $50,000 non-

recurring funding in FY08.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the HED,

House Bill 553 – Page

2

The “College Year Program" mentioned in HB553 is formally known as the Freshman

First-Year Experience (FFYE) at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

(NMIMT).

The intent of HB553 is to provide resources directly related to programming for students

in their first year at NMIMT, with the goal of ensuring that appropriate services and pro-

gramming are available to serve these students. The funding goes toward the NMIMT

Advising Resource Center.

According to the NMIMT website, students in the FFYE develop their academic success

and life skills, attend social events geared toward the establishing of key relationships,

and participate in a freshman seminar based on their major. Upperclassmen conduct these

seminars and serve as peer facilitators.

Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a national policy initiative of the Lumina Foundation for

Education to increase student success among low income, first generation students at-

tending community colleges. The New Mexico Higher Education Department was

awarded a state grant to coordinate policy to measure success of programs designed to

help students succeed at five New Mexico community colleges. Achieving the Dream has

identified the first-year experience as one student success strategy, which includes stu-

dent success courses, orientation programs, learning communities, special advising pro-

grams, and other approaches similar to ones being implemented at NMT, a four-year in-

stitution.

GH/nt