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 |governing|
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0021|     boards of ~[regents of New Mexico state university, New Mexico
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0022|     institute of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico
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0023|     university, western New Mexico university, the university of
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0024|     New Mexico, New Mexico highlands university and northern New
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0025|     Mexico state school]~ |four-year post-secondary educational
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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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0012|     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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0025|     Mexico]~ and who, upon the completion of that curriculum or at
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0001|     the end of two years, whichever is sooner, transfer to ~[one
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0002|     of the]~ |a four-year| post-secondary ~[state]~ educational
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0003|     ~[institutions set forth in this section]~ |institution|. 
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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 or any of their branches; and
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0023|                    (2)  "two-year post-secondary educational
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0024|     institution" means a two-year public post-secondary
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0025|     educational institution located in New Mexico or a New Mexico
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0001|     campus of a two-year post-secondary educational institution
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0002|     created by an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo or the federal
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0003|     government.|"
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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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