0001|                            SENATE BILL 26
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0002|     43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                          PHILLIP J. MALOOF
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0005|     
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0006|     
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0007|     
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0008|                                   
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO THE PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSION; CREATING
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0012|     DISTRICTS; PROVIDING FOR ELECTIONS.
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0013|     
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0014|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0015|          Section 1.  PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSIONERS--ELECTION--
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0016|     TERMS.--
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0017|               A.  Public regulation commissioners shall be elected
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0018|     at the general election for staggered four-year terms,
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0019|     beginning on January 1 next following their election; provided
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0020|     that the first election of commissioners and the initial terms
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0021|     of those commissioners shall be as provided in Subsection B of
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0022|     this section.
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0023|               B.  Five commissioners shall be elected at the first
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0024|     election of commissioners in 1998.  The commissioners elected
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0025|     at the first election shall immediately classify themselves by
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0001|     lot, so that two of the five elected shall hold office for an
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0002|     initial two-year term and three for an initial four-year term. 
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0003|     Thereafter, all terms shall be for four years; provided that if
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0004|     a vacancy occurs prior to completion of a term, the vacancy
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0005|     shall be filled for the unexpired term only.
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0006|               C.  After serving two consecutive terms, including
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0007|     the initial two-year terms of the two commissioners chosen by
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0008|     lot after the first election, a commissioner is ineligible to
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0009|     hold office as a commissioner until one full four-year term has
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0010|     intervened.
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0011|          Section 2.  PUBLIC REGULATION COMMISSIONER DISTRICTS.--
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0012|               A.  Public regulation commissioners shall be elected
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0013|     from districts as follows:
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0014|                    (1)  one commissioner shall be elected from
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0015|     each of the three congressional districts in the state; and
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0016|                    (2)  two commissioners shall be elected
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0017|     statewide.
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0018|               B.  In the event the number of New Mexico's
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0019|     congressional districts is increased to four, then one
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0020|     commissioner shall be elected as shall be provided by law from
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0021|     each of the four districts and one commissioner shall be
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0022|     elected statewide.
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0023|          Section 3.  TEMPORARY PROVISION--1998 ELECTION--PUBLIC
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0024|     REGULATION COMMISSION.--The first election for the public
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0025|     regulation commission, which shall include all five
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0001|     commissioners, shall occur at the primary and general elections
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0002|     in 1998.  The secretary of state shall designate the five
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0003|     positions for which candidacies will be accepted.  There shall
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0004|     be no election for a state corporation commissioner in 1998.
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0005|                            - 3 -
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