New Mexico Statutes 9-29A-1. Early childhood education and care fund
A. The “early childhood education and care fund” is created within the state treasury. The fund shall consist of distributions, appropriations, gifts, grants and donations. Income from investment of the fund shall be credited to the fund. Money in the fund shall be expended only as provided in this section.
Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 9-29A-1
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
B. The state investment officer, subject to the approval of the state investment council, shall invest money in the early childhood education and care fund:
(1) in accordance with the prudent investor rule set forth in the Uniform Prudent Investor Act N.M. Stat. Ann. § 45-7-601 to 45-7-612; and
(2) in consultation with the state treasurer.
C. The state investment officer shall report quarterly to the legislative finance committee and the state investment council on the investments made pursuant to this section. Annually, a report shall be submitted no later than October 1 each year to the legislative finance committee, the revenue stabilization and tax policy committee and any other appropriate interim committees.
D. On July 1 of each year, a distribution shall be made from the early childhood education and care fund to the early childhood education and care program fund in an amount equal to the greater of five percent of the average of the year-end market values of the fund for the immediately preceding three calendar years or one hundred fifty million dollars ($150,000,000).
E. In addition to the distribution pursuant to Subsection D of this section, money in the early childhood education and care fund may be expended in the event that general fund balances, including all authorized revenues and transfers to the general fund and balances in the general fund operating reserve, the appropriation contingency fund, the tobacco settlement permanent fund, the state-support reserve fund and the tax stabilization reserve, will not meet the level of appropriations authorized from the general fund for a fiscal year. In that event, to avoid an unconstitutional deficit, the legislature may appropriate from the early childhood education and care fund to the general fund only in the amount necessary to meet general fund appropriations for that fiscal year and only if the legislature has authorized transfers from the appropriation contingency fund, the general fund operating reserve, the tax stabilization reserve and the tobacco settlement permanent fund that exhaust those fund balances.