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

SPONSOR Tripp

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/9/2007

HB 792

SHORT TITLE NM Tech Science & Engineering Fair

SB

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$75.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relates to SB 131, HB 367, & HB 225.

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 792 appropriates $75,000 from the General Fund to the NM Tech Regents for expen-

diture in FY 2008 to support the Science and Engineering Fair and the Science Olympiad.

If the intent is to use this appropriation to support the 2007 Science and Engineering Fair, the

Science Olympiad, or International Science and Engineering Fair in Albuquerque (May 2007),

the bill should have an emergency clause.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $75,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2008 shall revert to the

General Fund.

The Higher Education Department indicates this $75,000 appropriation will be used for admini-

stration costs and outreach for the 2007 International Science Fair to be held in Albuquerque.

House Bill 792 – Page

2

There is nothing in the bill to indicate usage of the funds.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair (NMSEF) is a non-profit program supported by

the State of New Mexico and NM Tech. The Fair is a member of the New Mexico Activities

Association and is bound by the rules governing that organization. Financial support for the

Fair comes from the State of New Mexico, NM Tech, donations from a number of founda-

tions, corporate and individual donors as well as registration fees.

The first New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair was held in 1953 at the New Mexico In-

stitute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM, three years after the first National Science

Fair was organized by Science Service. NMSEF accepts the top exhibits from the six regional

science fairs in the state. It is held each April on the campus of New Mexico Institute of Min-

ing and Technology in Socorro. Its objectives are to recognize and reward excellence in sci-

ence, mathematics, and engineering projects carried out by junior high and high school stu-

dents from throughout the state. Winners at the state level compete in the Intel International

Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in a major city every May. The 2007 Intel Interna-

tional Science and Engineering Fair will be held in Albuquerque, New

Mexico.

The Science Olympiad is a national, non-profit, tax-exempt organization, devoted to improving

the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition

of outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. These goals are

achieved by participation in Science Olympiad tournaments, incorporating Science Olympiad

into classroom curriculum and attending teacher-training institutes.

The New Mexico Science Olympiad began in 1987 and is hosted each year by NM Tech. This

academic interscholastic competition consists of over 32 individual and team events for which

students prepare during the school year. Science Olympiad focuses on three areas of science

education: science concepts/knowledge, science processes/thinking skills, and science applica-

tion/technology. The New Mexico Science Olympiad involves over 3,000 students from all areas

of New Mexico. The State Competition will be held on February 24, 2007.

A request for an additional $75,300 was submitted by NM Tech to the HED for review. The De-

partment's recommendation for FY08 is a continuance of the FY07 recurring funding in the

amount of $362,500.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

SB 131, HB 367, and HB 225 – appropriate $1,200,000 for expenditure in FY 2007 and FY 2008

for “a science and engineering fair in the city of Albuquerque."

The General Appropriation Act (HB 7/SB 2) includes an appropriation of $362,500 to NM Tech

for the Science and Engineering Fair.

BM/sb