House Bill 89

HOUSE BILL 89

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2025

INTRODUCED BY

Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Patricia Roybal Caballero

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION; AMENDING THE GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP ACT; CHANGING ELIGIBILITY; INCREASING AWARDS.

 

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

     SECTION 1. Section 21-21G-3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988, Chapter 111, Section 3, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-21G-3. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Graduate Scholarship Act:

          A. "academic year" means [any] the consecutive period of two semesters [three quarters] or other comparable units commencing with the fall term each year;

          B. "award recipient" means a student who is a New Mexico resident and is awarded a graduate scholarship;

          C. "department" means the higher education department;

          D. "eligible institution" means [any] a graduate-degree-granting state university enumerated in Article 12, Section 11 of the constitution of New Mexico and accredited by the [north central association of colleges and secondary schools] higher learning commission;

          E. "graduate [and professional] field" means [any] a program of study intended to result in a master's or doctoral degree, excluding [the degree in] a doctor of medicine; and

          F. "groups underrepresented in graduate education" means women, minorities, persons with a visual impairment or other physical disability and other groups [who] that have traditionally been underrepresented in the specific area of graduate study or profession for which the scholarship is awarded."

     SECTION 2. Section 21-21G-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988, Chapter 111, Section 5, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-21G-5. CONDITIONS FOR FIRST-YEAR ELIGIBILITY.--            A. Priority [will] shall be given to New Mexico [students from those groups with the most severe underrepresentation and] students who are New Mexico residents with the greatest financial need and students who are residents from groups underrepresented in graduate education.

          B. A scholarship may be awarded to [an individual] a New Mexico resident who has:

                [A. is a citizen of the United States or who has a permanent resident visa] (1) earned a bachelor's degree and maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale or who holds a paid position supporting faculty teaching or research activities;

                [B. has] (2) met the admission requirements, [and] is accepted for enrollment [as a full-time student in an underrepresented] and enrolls in at least six credit hours in a graduate [or professional] field of study [as determined by the institution]; and

                [C. has] (3) complied with all the rules [and regulations] adopted by the [commission] department for award of the scholarship and the provisions regarding the administration of [state] the graduate [scholarships adopted pursuant to the Graduate Scholarship Act; and

          D. agrees to serve in an unpaid internship or assistantship at the eligible institution, a government agency or private industry approved by his major department for ten hours per week during the academic year] scholarship program."

     SECTION 3. Section 21-21G-6 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988, Chapter 111, Section 6, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-21G-6. CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY.--

          A. Except as provided in Subsection B of this section, a scholarship may be [reawarded] re-awarded to a student who:

                [A. has been] (1) was an award recipient [of a New Mexico graduate scholarship] the previous year;

                [B.] (2) maintains a grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale and remains in good academic standing as determined by the eligible institution; and

                [C.] (3) is enrolled [as a full-time graduate student as determined by the institution;

          D. is pursuing the second year of a master's degree or the second or third year of a doctoral degree; and

          E. agrees to serve in an unpaid internship or assistantship at the eligible institution, a government agency or private industry approved by his major department for ten hours per week during the academic year] in at least six credit hours in a graduate field of study.

          B. A graduate scholarship may be granted until the award recipient either receives a terminal degree or has qualified and received eight semesters of scholarship, whichever occurs first."

     SECTION 4. Section 21-21G-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988, Chapter 111, Section 7, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-21G-7. AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIPS.--Scholarship [awards shall be for seven thousand two hundred dollars ($7,200) per year to be disbursed in equal installments over the period of an academic year] award amounts shall not exceed one hundred percent of tuition and fees for the graduate program at the eligible institution for the academic year; provided that the department shall fund only one semester at a time and shall not fund the second semester of the academic year if the student does not enroll for that semester or does not otherwise maintain eligibility."

     SECTION 5. Section 21-21G-10 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988, Chapter 111, Section 10, as amended) is amended to read:

     "21-21G-10. TERMINATION OF SCHOLARSHIPS.--A scholarship is terminated upon the occurrence of:

          A. withdrawal from the eligible institution by the award recipient or failure to reenroll for consecutive academic [years or failure to be a full-time graduate student; or] semesters;

          B. failure to maintain the required grade point average and other qualifications for the scholarship; or

          [B.] C. substantial noncompliance by the award recipient with the Graduate Scholarship Act or the rules [regulations] or procedures promulgated by the [commission] department in accordance with that act."

     SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2025.

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