0001| HOUSE BILL 487 | 0002| 43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998 | 0003| INTRODUCED BY | 0004| BEN LUJAN | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| AN ACT | 0011| RELATING TO LOTTERY TUITION FUND SCHOLARSHIPS; PROVIDING THAT | 0012| CERTAIN STUDENTS MAY QUALIFY IF THEY ARE DEPENDENTS OF | 0013| INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN ACTIVE DUTY IN THE UNITED STATES ARMED | 0014| FORCES. | 0015| | 0016| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO: | 0017| Section 1. Section 21-1-4.3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1996, | 0018| Chapter 71, Section 3) is amended to read: | 0019| "21-1-4.3. TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS AUTHORIZED--CERTAIN | 0020| EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.-- | 0021| A. To the extent that funds are made available by | 0022| the legislature from the lottery tuition fund, the boards of | 0023| regents of New Mexico state university, New Mexico institute | 0024| of mining and technology, eastern New Mexico university, | 0025| western New Mexico university, the university of New Mexico, | - 1 - 0001| New Mexico highlands university and northern New Mexico state | 0002| school shall award tuition scholarships for qualified resident | 0003| students attending their respective institutions and branches | 0004| of those institutions. | 0005| B. Except as authorized in ~~[Subsection C]~~ | 0006| Subsections C and D of this section, the tuition | 0007| scholarships authorized in this section shall apply only to | 0008| full-time resident students who, immediately upon completion | 0009| of a high school curriculum at a public or accredited private | 0010| New Mexico high school or upon receiving a graduate equivalent | 0011| diploma, are accepted for entrance to and attend one of the | 0012| state educational institutions set forth in this section or | 0013| one of the branches of those institutions. Each tuition | 0014| scholarship shall be awarded for up to four consecutive years | 0015| beginning the second semester of the recipient's first year of | 0016| enrollment, provided that the recipient has maintained | 0017| residency in New Mexico and maintained a grade point average | 0018| of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during his first semester of | 0019| full-time enrollment. | 0020| C. The tuition scholarships authorized in this | 0021| section shall also apply to full-time resident students who, | 0022| immediately upon completion of a high school curriculum at a | 0023| public or accredited private New Mexico high school or upon | 0024| receiving a graduate equivalent diploma, attend a two-year | 0025| public post-secondary educational institution in New Mexico | - 2 - 0001| and who, upon the completion of that curriculum or at the end | 0002| of two years, whichever is sooner, transfer to one of the | 0003| post-secondary state educational institutions set forth in | 0004| this section. Those students shall be eligible for a tuition | 0005| scholarship for two consecutive years, provided that those | 0006| students maintain residency in New Mexico, maintain a grade- | 0007| point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale and attend the | 0008| institution full time during the regular academic year. | 0009| D. The tuition scholarships authorized in this | 0010| section shall also apply to a student who would not qualify | 0011| for a scholarship under Subsection B or C of this section | 0012| solely because the student completed a high school curriculum | 0013| at a high school located outside of New Mexico if: | 0014| (1) while in high school the student was a | 0015| dependent of an individual engaged in active duty in the | 0016| United States armed forces; and | 0017| (2) the individual engaged in active duty was | 0018| a resident of New Mexico immediately before entering the | 0019| United States armed forces and, while the student was in high | 0020| school, was absent from New Mexico because of the active duty | 0021| in the United States armed forces. | 0022| ~~[D.]~~ E. The commission on higher education | 0023| shall prepare guidelines setting forth explicit student | 0024| continuing eligibility criteria and guidelines for | 0025| administration of the tuition scholarship program. Guidelines | - 3 - 0001| shall be distributed to the board of regents of each | 0002| institution to enable a uniform availability of the resident | 0003| student tuition scholarships." | 0004| |