The bill amends the Community Governance Attorney Act by transferring the responsibilities for publicizing and administering contracts related to the Community Governance Attorney and Conditional Tuition Waiver Program from the Higher Education Department to the University of New Mexico School of Law. It allows counties and municipalities with at least one designated colonia within their boundaries, as well as state agencies, to hire community governance attorneys. The bill also outlines the structure and duties of the Community Governance Attorney Commission, which will consist of five members, including representatives from the university and appointees by the governor.

Key amendments include the establishment of a process for selecting participants in the program, the terms for repayment of tuition waivers, and the conditions under which waivers can be forgiven for participants employed as community governance attorneys. The bill specifies that the university will enter into contracts for providing legal services to low-income residents and outlines the funding limitations for these contracts. The provisions of this act are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 21-21Q-3, 21-21Q-4
JC substitute: 21-21Q-3, 21-21Q-4
RD substitute: 21-21Q-3, 21-21Q-4
Final Version: 21-21Q-3, 21-21Q-4