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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T





SPONSOR: Altamirano DATE TYPED: 1/31/99 HB
SHORT TITLE: Mesa Program SB 103
ANALYST: Pacheco-Perez


APPROPRIATION



Appropriation Contained
Estimated Additional Impact
 Recurring

or Non-Rec

 Fund

Affected

FY99 FY2000 FY99 FY2000
$ 200.0 Recurring GF



(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)



Duplicates HB181



SOURCES OF INFORMATION



Commission on Higher Education (CHE)



SUMMARY



Synopsis of Bill



This bill appropriates $200.0 to the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to contract to provide mathematics, engineering and science achievement programs to school districts throughout the state.



Significant Issues



According to the CHE, the project proposed in this bill was the 8th priority of eleven special project requests made by the institution. The CHE has recommended moving this project from the CHE agency budget to NMIMT which currently administers the program.



FISCAL IMPLICATIONS



The appropriation of $200.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY00 shall revert to the general fund.



DUPLICATION



This bill duplicates House Bill 181.



OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES



According to the CHE, NM MESA currently serves 78 middle and high schools around the state. There are additional schools on a waiting list to join the program, in particular, feeder schools in Portales, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Bloomfield and Gallup. The state higher education funding formula allows institutions to retain 100% of earned overhead on federal grants and contracts for the purpose of providing seed money and matching funds for projects such as that proposed in this bill.



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