0001|                           SENATE BILL 135
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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|                          ROMAN M. MAES III
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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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 <u>governing</u>
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0021|     boards of <s>[regents of New Mexico state university, New Mexico
</s>    |
<s></s>0022| <s>    institute of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico
</s>    |
<s></s>0023| <s>    university, western New Mexico university, the university of
</s>    |
<s></s>0024| <s>    New Mexico, New Mexico highlands university and northern New
</s>    |
<s></s>0025| <s>    Mexico state school]</s> <u>four-year post-secondary educational
</u>    |
<center>- 1 -</center>

<u></u>0001| <u>    institutions</u> shall award tuition scholarships for qualified
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0002|     <u>New Mexico</u> resident students attending their respective
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0003|     institutions and branches of those institutions <u>in New
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<u></u>0004| <u>    Mexico</u>. <u></u>         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 <s>[one of the state]</s> <u>a four-year post-
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<u></u>0011| <u>    secondary</u> educational <s>[institutions set forth in this
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<s></s>0012| <s>    section <u></u>or one of the branches of those institutions]</s>
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0013|     <u>institution</u>.  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, <s>[provided that]</s>
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0016|     <u>if</u> 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|     <s>[public]</s> post-secondary educational institution <s>[in New
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<s></s>0025| <s>    Mexico]</s> and who, upon the completion of that curriculum or at
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<center>- 2 -</center>

0001|     the end of two years, whichever is sooner, transfer to <s>[one
</s>    |
<s></s>0002| <s>    of the]</s> <u>a four-year</u> post-secondary <s>[state]</s> educational
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0003|     <s>[institutions set forth in this section]</s> <u>institution</u>. 
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0004|     Those students shall be eligible for a tuition scholarship for
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0005|     two consecutive years, <s>[provided that]</s> <u>if</u> 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<u></u> governing board <s>[of regents]</s><u></u> of each institution
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0014|     to enable a uniform availability of the <s>[resident student]</s>
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0015|     tuition scholarships.
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0016|               <u>E.  As used in this section:
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<u></u>0017| <u>                   (1)  "four-year post-secondary educational
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<u></u>0018| <u>    institution" means New Mexico state university, New Mexico
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<u></u>0019| <u>    institute of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico
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<u></u>0020| <u>    university, western New Mexico university, the university of
</u>    |
<u></u>0021| <u>    New Mexico, New Mexico highlands university, northern New
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<u></u>0022| <u>    Mexico state school or any of their branches; and
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<u></u>0023| <u>                   (2)  "two-year post-secondary educational
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<u></u>0024| <u>    institution" means a two-year public post-secondary
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<u></u>0025| <u>    educational institution located in New Mexico or a New Mexico
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<center>- 3 -</center>

<u></u>0001| <u>    campus of a two-year post-secondary educational institution
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<u></u>0002| <u>    created by an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo or the federal
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<u></u>0003| <u>    government.</u>"
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0004|          Section 2.  EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0005|     peace, health and safety that this act take effect
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0006|     immediately.
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0007|                              
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