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A Senate bill creating more need-based scholarships in New Mexico passed the House Education Committee Friday.
The College Affordability Act would create scholarships for students with financial need.
The Lottery Success Scholarship is merit-based, with the eligibility determined by academic performance.
Students would be eligible for the need-based money based on their reported income.
The scholarship amount would not be more than $1,000 a semester and would be set by the Commission on Higher Education. The money would be deposited in to an account at the student's school in his or her name.
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The bill would appropriate $10 million to the scholarship's endowment fund.
The act would give $15 million to the scholarship fund to pay for the next two fiscal years.
The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
UNM's School of Architecture and Planning would get more hires under a bill introduced to the state House of Representatives.
House Bill 824 would appropriate $50,000 for the architecture school to hire an administrative manager and research assistant for the Resource Center for Raza Planning.
The money would go to the Commission on Higher Education, which will work with the Mid-Region Council of Governments to hire for the positions.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Rick Miera and is in the House Education Committee.
Higher education
A bill in the state Legislature would provide funding for behavioral health programs at the state's colleges and universities.
Rep. Luciano Varela introduced a bill last week that would appropriate nearly $1 million to the Commission on Higher Education for programs that address college student health topics, including suicide intervention and binge-drinking prevention.
The bill is in the House Education Committee.
