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

SPONSOR Rawson

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

3/1/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE Lonnie Sumpter Day

SB SM 30

ANALYST Schuss

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Memorial 30 expresses appreciation and gratitude to Lonnie Sumpter for his contribution

to New Mexico’s future in space commercialization and declaring February 16, 2007 “Lonnie

Sumpter Day" at the Senate

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Senate Memorial 30 states that Lonnie Sumpter graduated from Oklahoma State University with

a degree in mechanical engineering and was employed by the army depot in Pueblo, Colorado, as

an engineering intern. Lonnie Sumpter was employed at White Sands Missile Range, where he

was eventually promoted to Senior Project Engineer. He was recruited by the Coleman Research

Corporation to develop its test and evaluation business in Southern New Mexico.

Lonnie Sumpter was a founder of General Kinematics Corporation and played a key role in or-

ganizing the southwest regional space task force, which charted the early path for New Mexico

in the realm of commercial space. He was appointed Executive Director of the New Mexico Of-

fice of Space Commercialization but had to leave his position due to illness.

Lonnie Sumpter continued to make an invaluable contribution to New Mexico's Commercial

Space Program with his innovative systems engineering approach to flight safety analyses in

Senate Memorial 30 – Page

2

support of reusable launch operations, as well as his presentations on the unlimited possibilities

for New Mexico in commercial space. He was appointed to New Mexico's Military Base Plan-

ning Commission and personally developed a description of New Mexico's military advantages,

which was included in the state's presentation to the United States Department of Defense Base

Realignment and Closure Commission in support of saving Cannon Air Force Base during the

base realignment and closure round in 2005.

Lonnie Sumpter was appointed Director of New Mexico's Spaceport Authority, where he worked

closely with the rocket racing league, UP Aerospace and Virgin Galactic Corporation and pro-

vided outstanding executive leadership to New Mexico's Commercial Spaceport Program.

Lonnie Sumpter, as Director of the Spaceport Authority, worked diligently on planning, envi-

ronmental review and licensing for New Mexico's Commercial Spaceport Program and presented

an inspiring vision of the economic benefits of New Mexico's Spaceport through his numerous

presentations to civic, cultural, professional and educational groups.

The Senate of the State of New Mexico requests that sincere appreciation and gratitude be ex-

pressed to Lonnie Sumpter for his significant contribution to New Mexico's future in space

commercialization and for his love for the New Mexico Spaceport Program and that February

16, 2007 be declared "Lonnie Sumpter Day" at the Senate.

BS/nt