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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Begaye
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2/1/08
HB 620
SHORT TITLE NMSU-Grants Native American Culinary Program SB
ANALYST Haug
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$30.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
Public Education Department (PED)
Indian Affairs Department (IAD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 620 appropriates $30.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of New Mexico
State University to develop a Culinary Arts Program on the University’s Grants campus for
Native American students attending local secondary schools.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $30.0 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.
This proposal has not been submitted by NMSU to the department for review and has not been
recommended funding for FY09.
pg_0002
House Bill 620 – Page
2
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The IAD states:
HB 620 would create a culinary arts program on the NMSU-Grants campus for Native
American students attending local high schools. This program would provide training in
food preparation, cooking, and service which may lead to later careers in restaurants,
catering, food management and other food service industries. As this program would
serve high schools students, it could act as career exploration program and/or a funnel for
students interested in obtaining post-secondary degrees such as the certificate program in
culinary arts offered by the Navajo Technical College in Crownpoint, NM.
Many of New Mexico tribes are pursuing economic development activities through
gaming, hospitality, and cultural tourism, and they are in need of employees skilled in
hospitality-related services including culinary arts. The culinary arts program established
by HB 620 would provide Native American high school students with an educational
opportunity and exposure to a career field identified as a high need for New Mexico
tribes.
The PED states:
According to NMSU-Grants CEO Felicia Casados, the expansion of Native American
gaming enterprises in the north-west-central New Mexico corridor (Route 66 to west)
provides expanded job opportunities in the food service industry for Cibola County
residents, of which 37% are Native American. Laguna Development Corporation’s
recent opening of a new $40 million hotel along with Acoma’s Sky City Casino/Hotel
along Route 66 necessitates a large pool of highly skilled employees in the field of
Culinary Arts. NMSU-Grants can provide career/technical training for this program,
offering a certificate to an associate degree program. This program will be available
both to high school and non-high school students throughout the Cibola County region.
The partnership roles include:
NMSU-Grants will provide the curriculum and faculty for the program. The
program will culminate in a certificate and/or associate degree.
Grants/Cibola school district will provide utilization of their commercial cafeteria
kitchen at Laguna/Acoma High School and a training classroom as the training
site for this program.
Laguna Development Corporation will provide access to resources, such as its
professional Culinary Arts personnel, to consult with NMSU-Grants regarding
training needs and curriculum development. It will also provide supplemental
materials and supplies needed to initiate the program. In addition, it will provide
internships for students and on-site experiential learning opportunities in a real-
world environment.
pg_0003
House Bill 620 – Page
3
NMSU is developing a seamless articulation with its community colleges (NMSU
Grants, NMSU Alamogordo, NMSU Carlsbad, and Dona Ana) in
Hospitality/Restaurant/Tourism/Management certificate/associate programs to the
NMSU baccalaureate degree in Hospitality, Restaurant, Tourism, Management
program to create career ladder opportunities in this industry for students of the
region.
New Mexico is recognized as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. Its rich,
ancient Native American and Hispanic history, art, peoples, cultures, traditions, and
landscapes are virtually unparalleled in the United States and around the globe. The
Governor’s career cluster initiative (2006) has incorporated into its economic
development plan the Hospitality and Tourism cluster.
The Governor’s Career Cluster Guidebook provides individuals seeking employment a
guide to understanding how education and training in one or more of the seven New
Mexico Career Clusters will ensure success in fulfilling their goals. There are several
career paths in Hospitality and Tourism:
Restaurant Management
Resort Management
Destination and Events Management
Culinary Arts
Recreation and Gaming
Environmental, Historic and Cultural Preservation.
Currently, Laguna Acoma High School and NMSU-Grants have no Carl D. Perkins-
funded culinary arts program of study in alignment with Governor Richardson’s career
cluster initiative.
GH/mt