0001| HOUSE BILL 268
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0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003| INTRODUCED BY
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0004| LEO C. WATCHMAN JR.
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0005|
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0006|
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0007|
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0008| FOR THE INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
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0009|
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0010| AN ACT
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0011| RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION; EXPANDING LOTTERY TUITION
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0012| SCHOLARSHIP PROVISIONS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
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0013|
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0014| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0015| Section 1. Section 21-1-4.3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1996,
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0016| Chapter 71, Section 3) is amended to read:
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0017| "21-1-4.3. TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS AUTHORIZED--CERTAIN
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0018| EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.--
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0019| A. To the extent that funds are made available by
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0020| the legislature from the lottery tuition fund, the governing
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0021| boards of [regents of New Mexico state university, New Mexico
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institute of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico
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university, western New Mexico university, the university of
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New Mexico, New Mexico highlands university and northern New
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Mexico state school] four-year post-secondary educational
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- 1 -
0001| institutions shall award tuition scholarships for qualified
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0002| New Mexico resident students attending their respective
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0003| institutions and branches of those institutions in New
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0004| Mexico. B. Except as authorized in Subsection C
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0005| of this section, the tuition scholarships authorized in this
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0006| section shall apply only to full-time resident students who,
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0007| immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a
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0008| public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon
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0009| receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, are accepted for
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0010| entrance to and attend [one of the state] a four-year post-
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0011| secondary educational [institutions set forth in this
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section or one of the branches of those institutions]
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0013| institution. Each tuition scholarship shall be awarded for
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0014| up to four consecutive years beginning the second semester of
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0015| the recipient's first year of enrollment, [provided that]
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0016| if the recipient has maintained residency in New Mexico and
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0017| maintained a grade-point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0
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0018| scale during his first semester of full-time enrollment.
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0019| C. The tuition scholarships authorized in this
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0020| section shall also apply to full-time resident students who,
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0021| immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a
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0022| public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon
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0023| receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, attend a two-year
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0024| [public] post-secondary educational institution [in New
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Mexico] and who, upon the completion of that curriculum or at
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- 2 -
0001| the end of two years, whichever is sooner, transfer to [one
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of the] a four-year post-secondary [state] educational
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0003| [institutions] institution [set forth in this section].
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0004| Those students shall be eligible for a tuition scholarship for
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0005| two consecutive years, [provided that] if those students
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0006| maintain residency in New Mexico, maintain a grade-point
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0007| average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale and attend the
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0008| institution full time during the regular academic year.
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0009| D. The commission on higher education shall
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0010| prepare guidelines setting forth explicit student continuing
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0011| eligibility criteria and guidelines for administration of the
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0012| tuition scholarship program. Guidelines shall be distributed
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0013| to the governing board [of regents] of each institution
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0014| to enable a uniform availability of the [resident student]
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0015| tuition scholarships.
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0016| E. As used in this section:
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0017| (1) "four-year post-secondary educational
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0018| institution" means New Mexico state university, New Mexico
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0019| institute of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico
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0020| university, western New Mexico university, the university of
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0021| New Mexico, New Mexico highlands university, northern New
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0022| Mexico state school, any of their branches or any New Mexico
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0023| branch of an independent nonprofit nonsectarian four-year
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0024| college or university with a campus located in New Mexico and
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0025| accredited by the north central accrediting association; and
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0001| (2) "two-year post-secondary educational
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0002| institution" means a two-year public post-secondary
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0003| educational institution located in New Mexico or a New Mexico
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0004| campus of a two-year post-secondary educational institution
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0005| created by an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo or the federal
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0006| government."
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0007| Section 2. EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0008| peace, health and safety that this act take effect
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0009| immediately.
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0010|
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