HB 89 — GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP ACT CHANGES

HOUSE BILL 89 57TH LEGISLATURE -STATEOFNEWMEXICO- FIRST SESSION, 2025 INTRODUCED BY Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Patricia Roybal Caballero 6 8 10 AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHER EDUCATION;

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

e t 17 "21-21G-3.

DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Graduate w l n d 18 Scholarship Act:

= = 19 a l A.

"academic year" means [any] the consecutive i a e r 20 period of two semesters [three quarters] or other comparable a t m m 21 units commencing with the fall term each year;

d r e 22 B.

"award recipient" means a student who is a New c e s k 23 Mexico resident and is awarded a graduate scholarship;

e a n b 24 C.

"department" means the higher education u [ department;

.229242.2 D.

"eligible institution" means [any] a graduate-graduate-degree- degree-grantinggranting 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;

"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;

"groups underrepresented in graduate education" means women, minorities, persons with a visual impairment or HB 89 Page 1 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.

e t 17 "21-21G-5.

CONDITIONS FOR FIRST-YEAR ELIGIBILITY.-- w l n d 18 A.

Priority [will] shall be given to New Mexico = = 19 a l [students from those groups with the most severe i a e r 20 underrepresentation and] students who are New Mexico residents a t m m 21 with the greatest financial need and students who are residents d r e 22 from groups underrepresented in graduate education.

c e s k 23 B.

A scholarship may be awarded to [an individual] e a n b 24 a New Mexico resident who has:

u [ [A.

is a citizen of the United States or who .229242.2 - 2 - 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 e t 17 or private industry approved by his major department for ten w l n d 18 hours per week during the academic year] scholarship program." = = 19 a l SECTION 3.

Section 21-21G-6 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988, i a e r 20 Chapter 111, Section 6, as amended) is amended to read:

a t m m 21 "21-21G-6.

CONDITIONS FOR CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY.-- d r e 22 A.

Except as provided in Subsection B of this c e s k 23 section, a scholarship may be [reawarded] re-awarded to a e a n b 24 student who:

u [ [A.

has been] (1) was an award recipient [of .229242.2 - 3 - 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.

A graduate scholarship may be grantedawarded untilto the award recipient either receives a terminalNew degreeMexico orresident haswho qualifiedhas: and received eight semesters of scholarship, e t 17 whichever occurs first." w l n d 18 SECTION 4.