0001|                            HOUSE BILL 481
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          RAYMOND G. SANCHEZ
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION; ESTABLISHING THE STATEWIDE
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0012|     EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM TO PROVIDE LOW-
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0013|     COST, STATE-OF-THE-ART COMPUTERS FOR NEW MEXICO'S CLASSROOMS;
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0014|     MAKING APPROPRIATIONS; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
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0015|     
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0016|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0017|          Section 1.  STATEWIDE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY
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0018|     PROGRAM--FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.--
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0019|               A.  The legislature finds that:
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0020|                    (1)  local school districts need increased
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0021|     access to information technologies, extensive professional
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0022|     development and sustained network support to use technology
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0023|     effectively;
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0024|                    (2)  the technological needs of New Mexico's
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0025|     individual school children and classrooms are best defined by
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0001|     the teachers and principals who work with them on a day-to-day
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0002|     basis;
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0003|                    (3)  New Mexico is fortunate to have high
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0004|     technology laboratories and corporations that have programs to
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0005|     supply low-cost, state-of-the-art central processing units for
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0006|     use in New Mexico classrooms; and
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0007|                    (4)  there are large nonprofit programs in
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0008|     place to build and rehabilitate computers for New Mexico
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0009|     classrooms using a combination of donated, surplus and
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0010|     purchased equipment.
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0011|               B.  The purpose of this act is to establish a
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0012|     statewide educational technology opportunity program for New
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0013|     Mexico's teachers and students by creating a partnership
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0014|     between private industry, state government and local school
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0015|     districts that will build, distribute and install low-cost,
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0016|     network-ready computers in New Mexico classrooms over the next
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0017|     three years.
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0018|          Section 2.  EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY
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0019|     PROGRAM--DUTIES OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.--
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0020|               A.  The state department of public education shall
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0021|     contract with a nonprofit corporation to administer the
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0022|     statewide educational technology opportunity program.  The
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0023|     department shall select a contractor that has a program in
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0024|     place to build and rehabilitate computers for New Mexico
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0025|     classrooms using a combination of donated, surplus and
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0001|     purchased equipment.  In administering the statewide
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0002|     educational technology opportunity program, the contractor, in
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0003|     coordination with the department, shall:
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0004|                    (1)  solicit and accept applications for
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0005|     computer assistance from local school teachers through the
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0006|     local school principals;
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0007|                    (2)  establish criteria for evaluating
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0008|     applications for computer assistance.  The criteria shall
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0009|     include requirements for an established technology plan and an
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0010|     established network infrastructure;
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0011|                    (3)  establish a review process involving
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0012|     public and private entities to evaluate each application,
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0013|     determine the amount of computer assistance needed and
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0014|     allocate the available computers to ensure that computer
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0015|     assistance is distributed equitably; and
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0016|                    (4)  submit an annual report to the state
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0017|     board of education, the governor and the legislature on the
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0018|     progress of the program, showing the regional distribution of
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0019|     the program, the number of computers distributed and the cost
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0020|     of each computer.
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0021|               B.  Upon the approval of an application for
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0022|     computer assistance, the contractor shall distribute the
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0023|     allocated computers directly to the classroom and teacher. 
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0024|     Pursuant to the contract and upon the receipt of an invoice,
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0025|     the state department of public education shall reimburse the
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0001|     contractor for the state portion of the cost of the computer
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0002|     assistance granted.
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0003|               C.  The state department of public education, after
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0004|     consulting with private industry, local school districts and
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0005|     other interested parties shall promulgate such rules as are
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0006|     necessary to implement the statewide educational technology
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0007|     opportunity program.
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0008|          Section 3.  APPROPRIATIONS.--Two million dollars
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0009|     ($2,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund in each of
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0010|     fiscal years 1998 through 2000 to the state department of
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0011|     public education.  The appropriations shall be expended in the
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0012|     fiscal year received and succeeding fiscal years only for
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0013|     reimbursing the contractor for the state portion of computer
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0014|     assistance granted pursuant to Section 2 of this act. 
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0015|     Unexpended or unencumbered balances of the appropriations
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0016|     shall not revert.
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0017|          Section 4.  EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0018|     peace, health and safety that this act take effect
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0019|     immediately.
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0020|                              
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