0001|                           SENATE BILL 197
    |
0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
    |
0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
    |
0004|                          RICHARD M. ROMERO
    |
0005|     
    |
0006|                                   
    |
0007|     
    |
0008|                                   
    |
0009|     
    |
0010|                                AN ACT
    |
0011|     RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS; CREATING A STUDENT ATTENDANCE
    |
0012|     OVERSIGHT TASK FORCE.
    |
0013|     
    |
0014|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
    |
0015|          Section 1.  STUDENT ATTENDANCE OVERSIGHT TASK FORCE--
    |
0016|     CREATION--TERMINATION.--The "student attendance oversight task
    |
0017|     force" is created.  The task force shall function from the
    |
0018|     date of its appointment until the first day of December prior
    |
0019|     to the first session of the forty-fourth legislature.
    |
0020|          Section 2.  MEMBERSHIP--APPOINTMENT--VACANCIES.--
    |
0021|               A.  The student attendance oversight task force
    |
0022|     shall be composed of six legislative members; six public
    |
0023|     advisory members, two of whom shall be graduates of or current
    |
0024|     students at an alternative high school in the state; and one
    |
0025|     representative from the state department of public education.
    |
<center>- 1 -</center>

0001|               B.  Three members of the house of representatives
    |
0002|     shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of
    |
0003|     representatives and three members of the senate shall be
    |
0004|     appointed by the committees' committee of the senate or, if
    |
0005|     the senate appointments are made in the interim, by the
    |
0006|     president pro tempore of the senate after consultation with
    |
0007|     and the agreement of a majority of the members of the
    |
0008|     committees' committee.  Members shall be appointed from each
    |
0009|     house so as to give the two major political parties in each
    |
0010|     house the same proportional representation on the task force
    |
0011|     as prevails in each house; however, in no event shall either
    |
0012|     party have less than one member from each house on the task
    |
0013|     force.  Vacancies on the task force shall be filled by
    |
0014|     appointment in the same manner as the original appointments.
    |
0015|               C.  So as to represent the state's ethnic and
    |
0016|     geographic diversity, six public advisory members shall be
    |
0017|     appointed to the task force by the speaker of the house of
    |
0018|     representatives and three public advisory members shall be
    |
0019|     appointed to the task force by the president pro tempore of
    |
0020|     the senate.  
    |
0021|               D.  The members of the task force shall be paid per
    |
0022|     diem and mileage in accordance with the provisions of the Per
    |
0023|     Diem and Mileage Act plus reimbursement for reasonable actual
    |
0024|     expenses.
    |
0025|               E.  The task force shall also include one advisory
    |
<center>- 2 -</center>

0001|     member representing the state department of public education
    |
0002|     appointed by the president of the state board of education.
    |
0003|               F.  The speaker of the house of representatives and
    |
0004|     the president pro tempore of the senate shall each designate
    |
0005|     one co-chairman of the task force.
    |
0006|          Section 3.  DUTIES.--
    |
0007|               A.  After its appointment, the student attendance
    |
0008|     oversight task force shall hold one organizational meeting to
    |
0009|     develop a work plan and budget for the ensuing interim.  The
    |
0010|     work plan and budget shall be submitted to the New Mexico
    |
0011|     legislative council for approval.
    |
0012|               B.  Upon approval of the work plan and budget by
    |
0013|     the legislative council, the task force shall oversee the
    |
0014|     implementation of the legislative directives relating to the
    |
0015|     student attendance and graduation, including development of a
    |
0016|     method to allocate the funds which each school district
    |
0017|     receives under the state equalization guarantee to create
    |
0018|     incentives to improve the student attendance and graduation
    |
0019|     rate.
    |
0020|               C.  The task force shall recommend legislation or
    |
0021|     changes if any are found to be necessary to the legislature.
    |
0022|          Section 4.  REPORT.--The student attendance oversight
    |
0023|     task force shall make a report of its findings and
    |
0024|     recommendations for the consideration of the first session of
    |
0025|     the forty-fourth legislature.  The reports and suggested
    |
<center>- 3 -</center>

0001|     legislation shall be made available to the New Mexico
    |
0002|     legislative council on or before November 1 preceding the
    |
0003|     session.
    |
0004|          Section 5.  STAFF.--The staff for the student attendance
    |
0005|     oversight task force shall be provided by the legislative
    |
0006|     council service.
    |
0007|                              
    |