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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Carraro
DATE TYPED 02/03/05 HB
SHORT TITLE Tuition Scholarship Eligibility
SB 37
ANALYST Williams
APPROPRIATION
Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY05
FY06
FY05
FY06
Indeterminate,
but very large Recurring
Lottery Tuition
Scholarship
Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Relates to numerous lottery scholarship and student financial aid bills
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Commission on Higher Education (CHE)
New Mexico Lottery Authority
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 37 effectively extends the lottery scholarship program to any New Mexico high
school graduate or graduate equivalent diploma (GED) who meets the other conditions of eligi-
bility such as New Mexico resident and full-time enrollment with a 2.5 GPA for college course-
work. The bill further removes the limitation for eligibility as it applies to completion of honor-
able service or medical discharge from the service.
Significant Issues
The bill effectively opens the lottery tuition scholarship program by eliminating the requirement
to immediately attend a public, post-secondary institution after high school graduation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
Given that the bill opens the lottery tuition scholarship program to any New Mexico high school
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Senate Bill 37 -- Page 2
graduate, GED recipient or veteran meeting other eligibility requirements, the fiscal impact on
the lottery tuition scholarship fund is indeterminate, but potentially very large.
AW/lg