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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Nava
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
2-4-2007
3-1-2007 HB
SHORT TITLE Lottery Scholarships for Disabled Students
SB 689/aSFl
ANALYST Dearing
REVENUE (dollars in thousands)
Estimated Revenue
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
FY09
*$0.1
*$0.1 Recurring
Lottery
Scholarship
Fund
*Please see narrative *Please see narrative
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)
Duplicates House Bill 571
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Higher Education Department (HED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Senate Floor Amendment
Action on the Senate Floor amends Senate Bill 689 such that all references within Sections
21-1-4 3 NMSA 1978 (Laws 1996, Chapter 71, Section 3),
Section 21-13-10 NMSA 1978 (Laws
1963, Chapter 17, Section 9)
and
Section 21-16-10.1 NMSA 1978 (Laws 1996, Chapter 71, Section 6)
will now refer to the lottery program as the “Legislative Lottery Scholarship Program."
Synopsis of Original Bill
Senate Bill 689 would amend Sections 21-1-4 3 NMSA 1978 (Laws 1996, Chapter 71, Section
3),
Section 21-13-10 NMSA 1978 (Laws 1963, Chapter 17, Section 9)
and
Section 21-16-10.1 NMSA
1978 (Laws 1996, Chapter 71, Section 6)
to establish a lengthened period of eligibility for the
Lottery Success Scholarship program to s
tudents with disabilities requiring special accommodations
.
The bill prescribes policies and procedures for administration of provisions of the act and
establishes a longer period of eligibility for scholarship award recipients. Subject to
pg_0002
Senate Bill 689/aSFl – Page
2
appropriations by the Legislature, the Higher Education department would direct disbursements
from the Lottery Scholarship fund to disabled student award recipients for up to 14 consecutive
semesters, provided the students maintain at minimum 6 credit hours. Circumstances regarding
the necessity of a lengthened eligibility period would be determined at each institution’s disabled
student liaison or office on a case-by-case basis; with each office or student liaison determining
the individual student’s “full-time" load and the maximum allowable semesters of awards
eligibility for that student. Finally, as written, the act amends several clauses within these
sections to make the law parallel with current agency names and incorporate current
terminology.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
*
Senate Bill 689 carries no direct appropriation from the Lottery Scholarship fund.
Under the current law, students at New Mexico institutions are ineligible for scholarship awards
after a determined length of time; four consecutive semesters in the case of public university
institutions (4-year schools), 2 consecutive years at community colleges and vocational
institutions (2-year schools).
For students with disabilities, the university, community college, or vocational institutions
appropriate office or administrator would make a determination of adequate term of eligibility
and individualized course load. This determination would take specific factors regarding the
students need for special accommodations when determining term and course-load.
Enactment of Senate Bill 689 would increase the disbursements from the Lottery Scholarship
fund for some students with disabilities requiring special accommodations.
According to the Higher Education department, a reasonable estimate of the current and future
award recipients the amended legislation would apply to is indeterminate.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
*The possibility exists that increased terms of eligibility for an unknown, undefined
number of students with disabilities would place some fiscal pressure on the Lottery
Scholarship fund.
*As written, Senate Bill 689 does not establish differential eligibility terms for 2-year
community colleges, vocational institutions, and 4-year universities. The legislation would allow
up to 7 years of eligibility
for students with disabilities in all three
scholastic environments.
Currently, relevant sections of statute stipulate differential terms of eligibility for these 3 school
types; 4 years for 4-year schools, and 2 years for either of the 2-year school types (community
colleges or vocational institutions).
While there would be an institutional determination made for each student’s case, the legislation
does not define students with disabilities
beyond “requiring special accommodations.
1
"
1
For Instance, in 2004, nearly 1 out of 10 students registered or sought consultation with disability services at the Catholic University of America;
with an average annual increase on requests of disability services at 10%. Source: A Preventive Law and Policy Approach to Managing Student
Disability Issues; 26th Annual Law & Higher Education Conference
Post-Conference Seminar: The Current State of Disability Law, February 23, 2005.
Bonnie McClellan, Margaret L. O’Donnell, and Craig W. Parker. http://counsel.cua.edu/ADA/publications/Stetson%20Outline%20-
%20Parker%20%20McClellan%20-%20Final%20Version.doc
pg_0003
Senate Bill 689/aSFl – Page
3
Students with disabilities are currently eligible for the scholarship if they meet the established
qualifications. The Higher Education department does not have a reasonably accurate estimate as
to how many students with disabilities do not (cannot) qualify for the scholarship because they
cannot complete 12 credit hours.
Lastly, the amendment proposed in this bill does not include language specifying that students
must be “degree-seeking;" (i.e. a clause requiring program progression in order to maintain
eligibility). In certain cases, as written, the proposed legislation could allow students at
community colleges and vocational institutions up to 5 extra years of Lottery eligibility and
payments, and up to 3 extra years of Lottery eligibility and payments for students at 4-year
schools.
While the net-effect of this legislation could possibly be minimal, there is no clarification in the
proposed language to establish how many students this would apply to, and there is no limiting
language to mandate students must be pursuing degree status.
ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS
The primary administrative impact of this legislation would fall to the New Mexico Higher
Education Department and to New Mexico postsecondary institutions.
DUPLICATION
Senate Bill 689 duplicates House Bill 571.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Little clarification exists in the definition of “students with disabilities." Clarification is
necessary to establish the scope and scale of eligibility and examples of eligible conditions
in order to determine the ultimate fiscal impact on the Lottery Scholarship fund.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
The current qualifications for the Lottery Success Scholarship are:
• Must be a New Mexico resident;
• Must have graduated from a New Mexico public or accredited private high
school, or have obtained a New Mexico GED;
• Must be enrolled full time (12 credit hours) at an eligible New Mexico public
college or university, in the first regular semester immediately following high
school graduation; and
• Must obtain and maintain at least a 2.5 GPA.
In the agency response for the duplicate bill, House Bill 571, the Higher Education department
states that:
…according to the Public Education Department, as reported from the
Accountability Data System (ADS); 18,807 students graduated from high school
in 2005, and 2,559 were students with disabilities," or 13.6 percent. Data on the
number of these students continuing on to postsecondary studies and qualifying for
the Lottery Success Scholarship is not available.
pg_0004
Senate Bill 689/aSFl – Page
4
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) mandates that a
postsecondary institution must make reasonable accommodations to students with
disabilities. Reasonable accommodations provide students with disabilities with an equal
opportunity that allows them to participate in university/college courses, programs, and
activities. Universities/colleges must make academic adjustments to allow students an
equal opportunity to participate. Academic adjustments may include extended time for
testing, completion of course work or graduation, and substitution of specific courses to
meet degree requirements. Universities/colleges do not have to provide accommodations
that would essentially modify the educational program or academic requirements which
are essential to a program of study or fulfill licensing requirements.
PD/nt