SENATE BILL 72

55th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2022

INTRODUCED BY

William P. Soules

AN ACT

MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY TO ESTABLISH THE CENTER FOR DRYLAND RESILIENCE AS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT WITH EASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY, THE NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO AND TO BUILD AN ECOLOGICAL MONITORING NETWORK, DEVELOP COMPUTER MODELING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOLUTIONS TO DIAGNOSE AND PREDICT VULNERABILITIES IN DRYLAND SYSTEMS AND DEVELOP RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF DRYLANDS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. APPROPRIATION.--

          A. Fourteen million nine hundred ninety-five thousand dollars ($14,995,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the board of regents of New Mexico state university for expenditure in fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to establish a center for dryland resilience as a collaborative effort with eastern New Mexico university, the New Mexico institute of mining and technology and the university of New Mexico and to develop and build a technologically advanced statewide ecological monitoring network, develop computer modeling and artificial intelligence solutions to diagnose and predict vulnerabilities in dryland natural capital, biodiversity and social-ecological-agricultural systems and develop resilience strategies for the sustainable management of drylands; provided that not more that two million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand dollars ($2,999,000) shall be expended in any one fiscal year.

          B. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2027 shall revert to the general fund.

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