HOUSE BILL 281

56th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2024

INTRODUCED BY

James G. Townsend

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION; EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR THE LOTTERY TUITION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. Section 21-21N-2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2014, Chapter 80, Section 2, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-21N-2. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Legislative Lottery Tuition Scholarship Act:

          A. "community college" means a branch community college of a four-year state educational institution, a two-year state educational institution or a community college or technical and vocational institute established pursuant to Chapter 21, Article 13 or 16 NMSA 1978, respectively;

          B. "comprehensive institution" means eastern New Mexico university, western New Mexico university, New Mexico highlands university or northern New Mexico college;

          C. "department" means the higher education department;

          D. "full time" means fifteen or more credit hours each semester of the regular academic year in state educational institutions and twelve or more credit hours each semester of the regular academic year in community colleges [or for legacy students in any program semester];

          E. "fund" means the lottery tuition fund;

          [F. "legacy student" means a full-time resident student who has received for three or more program semesters by the end of fiscal year 2014 the legislative lottery scholarship awarded pursuant to the former provisions of Sections 21-1-4.3, 21-13-10 and 21-16-10.1 NMSA 1978 prior to the enactment of the Legislative Lottery Tuition Scholarship Act;

          G.] F. "program semesters" means those semesters for which a [legacy or] qualified student may receive a tuition scholarship and excludes the first semester of attendance at a public post-secondary educational institution;

          [H.] G. "public post-secondary educational institution" means a four-year state educational institution or a community college;

          [I.] H. "qualified student" means a full-time student who graduated from a [public or accredited private] New Mexico high school in the state or completed the requirements of a home-based or non-public-school [primary] educational program in [the state] New Mexico or received a high school equivalency credential while maintaining residency in New Mexico and who:

                (1) either:

                     (a) within sixteen months of graduation from a public school in this state or completion of the requirements of a home-based or non-public-school primary educational program or receipt of a high school equivalency credential, was accepted for entrance to and attended a public post-secondary educational institution; or

                     (b) within four months of graduation from a public school in this state or completion of the requirements of a home-based or non-public-school primary educational program or receipt of a high school equivalency credential, began service in the United States armed forces and within sixteen months of completion of honorable service or medical discharge from the service, attended a public post-secondary educational institution; and

                (2) successfully completed the first semester at a public post-secondary educational institution with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale during the first semester of full-time enrollment;

          [J.] I. "research institution" means the university of New Mexico, New Mexico state university or New Mexico institute of mining and technology;

          [K.] J. "state educational institution" means an institution of higher education enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the constitution of New Mexico;

          [L.] K. "tribal college" means a tribally, federally or congressionally chartered post-secondary educational institution located in New Mexico that is accredited by the higher learning commission; and

          [M.] L. "tuition scholarship" means the scholarship that provides tuition assistance per program semester for a qualified student [or legacy student] attending a public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college."

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