NOTE:  As provided in LFC policy, this report is intended only for use by the standing finance committees of the legislature.  The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used for other purposes.

 

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F I S C A L   I M P A C T   R E P O R T

 

 

 

SPONSOR:

Tripp

 

DATE TYPED:

02/23/03

 

HB

721

 

SHORT TITLE:

NMIMT Energetic Materials Research & Testing

 

SB

 

 

 

ANALYST:

Williams

 

APPROPRIATION

 

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY03

FY04

FY03

FY04

 

 

 

NFI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

 

Relates to SB 490:  New Mexico Tech Geophysical Research Center

SB 177/HB 251:  Waste Management Education and Research

 

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 

LFC Files

Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

 

SUMMARY

 

     Synopsis of Bill

 

Senate Bill 721 establishes the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.  Functions of the center are specified in the bill and include research, development, testing and evaluation of ordnance, explosives and energetic materials along with associated research, training and scholarly activities. 

 

     Significant Issues

 

CHE notes House Bill 721 would authorize in statute the existing Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, and further notes the potential for an additional fifty to sixty non-existing, non-statutory programs to be authorized in separate statute. 

 

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

 

No fiscal impact.  The bill does not include an appropriation.

Potential fiscal implications include avoidance of funding reductions due to the recent practice of reducing appropriations for non-statutory research and public service projects at higher education institutions.  In the 2002 General Appropriation Act, General Fund appropriations for non-statutory research and public service projects were reduced by either 7.5 percent or 15 percent compared to the prior year.  For FY 04, the LFC budget document recommends an additional five percent reduction for these projects.

 

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

 

CHE notes the existing program submits annual funding requests to CHE along with five performance measures.  In 2002, the program was rated as “meeting expectations-high”, Tier IIa, the second highest rating in the CHE process of Research and Public Service Project (RPSP) Evaluation.

 

AW/yr