SENATE BILL 597

52nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2015

INTRODUCED BY

Howie C. Morales

AN ACT

RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR DUTY SPECIFICATIONS, ANNUAL EVALUATIONS AND COMPENSATION PARITY FOR FACULTY MEMBERS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. A new section of Chapter 21 NMSA 1978 is enacted to read:

     "[NEW MATERIAL] PUBLIC POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS--FACULTY COMPENSATION PARITY.--

          A. By July 1, 2016, each public post-secondary educational institution shall develop specifications for work quantity, quality and duties for faculty member positions.

          B. Starting July 1, 2016, each faculty member shall receive an annual job performance evaluation.

          C. Starting July 1, 2017, regardless of employment status as a tenured, tenure-track or non-tenure-track faculty member, each faculty member shall receive compensation based on work quantity, quality and duties and the job performance evaluation.

          D. As used in this section:

                (1) "compensation" includes salary and benefits, including, to the extent permitted under law:

                     (a) health and insurance benefits; and

                     (b) participation in the Educational Retirement Act;

                (2) "faculty member" includes tenured, tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty members;

                (3) "non-tenure-track faculty" includes faculty members who work on a full-time, part-time or temporary basis who are not tenured or tenure-track faculty members and excludes currently enrolled student teaching assistants;

                (4)  "public post-secondary educational institution" means:

                     (a) a branch community college of a state educational institution established pursuant to Chapter 21, Article 13 NMSA 1978;

                     (b) a community college or technical and vocational institute established pursuant to Chapter 21, Article 16 NMSA 1978; or

                     (c) eastern New Mexico university, western New Mexico university, New Mexico highlands university, northern New Mexico college, the university of New Mexico, New Mexico state university or the New Mexico institute of mining and technology;

                (5) "tenure" means a position with guaranteed job security and benefits and participation in governance terminable only upon cause; and 

                (6) "tenure track" means a position with job security and benefits and explicit or implicit opportunities for job advancement."

     SECTION 2. [NEW MATERIAL] FACULTY COMPENSATION PARITY FUND.--A "faculty compensation parity fund" shall be created in each public post-secondary educational institution to carry out the provisions of Section 1 of this 2015 act. Starting with fiscal year 2018, a sufficient amount of the appropriations from the legislature for instruction and general purposes at each institution shall be transferred to the institution's faculty compensation parity fund.

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