0001|     SENATE INDIAN AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
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0002|                           SENATE BILL 392
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0003|     43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 1998
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0004|                            INTRODUCED BY
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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|     
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0011|                                AN ACT
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0012|     RELATING TO THE PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE;
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0013|     PROVIDING FOR FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING;
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0014|     PROVIDING STANDARDS FOR A FORMULA.
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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.  SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the
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0018|     "Higher Education Funding Act".
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0019|          Section 2.  PURPOSE.--The purposes of the Higher
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0020|     Education Funding Act are:
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0021|               A.  to distribute higher education funding
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0022|     equitably among post-secondary institutions receiving state
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0023|     funding in New Mexico by increasing funding to those post-
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0024|     secondary institutions that receive less than the state
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0025|     average in funding per student; and
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<center>- 1 -</center>0001|               B.  to ensure that all post-secondary institutions
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0002|     can recruit and retain high quality personnel and provide
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0003|     appropriate regional programming.    
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0004|          Section 3.  DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Higher Education
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0005|     Funding Act, "post-secondary institution" means a two- or
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0006|     four-year college or university or a vocational or technical
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0007|     school located in New Mexico that receives operating funds
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0008|     from the state.
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0009|          Section 4.  FUNDING FORMULA STANDARDS.--
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0010|               A.  All post-secondary institutions shall receive
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0011|     equal distribution of state funds for operational, academic
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0012|     and other program expenses based on a formula to be developed
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0013|     by the commission on higher education that provides equivalent
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0014|     funding per enrolled student.
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0015|               B.  Post-secondary institutions, the personnel of
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0016|     which receive salaries that fall below the regional average
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0017|     salary level, shall be identified by the commission on higher
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0018|     education.  The commission shall report to the legislative
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0019|     education study committee on salary disparities among post-
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0020|     secondary institution staff and the amount of funding that
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0021|     would be required to raise salaries at those post-secondary
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0022|     institutions to the regional average.
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0023|               C.  The legislative education study committee shall
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0024|     review the distribution of funds pursuant to the formula
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0025|     developed by the commission on higher education to determine
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<center>- 2 -</center>0001|     that the distributions are equitable and nondiscriminatory.  
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0002|               D.  Post-secondary institutions shall cooperate with
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0003|     the commission on higher education in providing data requested by
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0004|     that commission for its review of salaries and per-student
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0005|     funding in a uniform manner so that the data can be compared and
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0006|     analyzed.
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0007|                               
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