Vetoed by Governor Susana Martinez

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates funds to the Lottery Tuition Fund and specifies scholarship recipient qualifications.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $11 million from the Student Financial Aid Fund of Higher Education to the Lottery Tuition Fund for fiscal year 2014-2015 (Sec. 9).

• Appropriates $11.5 million from the General Fund to the Lottery Tuition Fund for fiscal year 2015-2016 and for subsequent fiscal years (Sec. 9). 

• Requires 39 percent of net receipts attributable to the Liquor Excise Tax be distributed to the Lottery Tuition Fund, effective July 2015 (Sec. 7). 

• Defines “qualified student” as a full-time student who, while maintaining residency in New Mexico, graduated  high school or received an equivalency credential, and upon graduation does the following (Sec. 2): 
• The student attends an in-state public post-secondary educational institution immediately or after completion of service in the United State Armed Force; and
• The student successfully completes his or her 1st  full-time semester at the educational institution with a minimum grade point average of 2.5  on a 4.0 scale.

• Requires the Department of Higher Education to award a tuition scholarship to a qualified student if he or she meets the following conditions (Sec. 3): 
• The student maintains residency in New Mexico;
• The student maintains a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale; and
• The student completes at least 12 credit hours per semester through a 2-year public post-secondary educational institution or at least 15 credit hours per semester through a 4-year public post-secondary educational institution. 

• Authorizes a qualified student to receive a tuition scholarship for no more than 7 program semesters and a “legacy student” for no more than 8 program semesters, beginning fiscal year 2015-2016 (Sec. 3). 

• Defines “legacy student” as a qualified student who has received a tuition scholarship for 3 or more program semesters by the end of fiscal year 2014 (Sec. 2). 

• Requires the Lottery Tuition Fund to maintain an annual average balance of $2 million (Sec. 5).

• Requires the department to reduce the amount of tuition scholarships to certain qualified students if there is insufficient funding, with reductions being applied in the following order (Sec. 4):
• Reduced scholarships to qualified students in their 4th through 7th program semesters; and 
• Reduced scholarships to qualified students in their 1st through 3rd program semesters. 

• Requires the department to review certain terms as they pertain to students with disabilities, with the following conditions (Sec. 3):
• Prohibits “full-time” to mean fewer than 6 credit hours per semester; and
• Prohibits the maximum number of consecutive semesters of eligibility to extend beyond 14 semesters.

Full Bill Text