0001|                            SENATE BILL 543
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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|                            L. SKIP VERNON
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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 CRIMINAL SENTENCING; REQUIRING A CAPITAL FELONY
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0012|     OFFENDER OR A REPEAT SEXUAL OFFENDER TO REMAIN INCARCERATED FOR
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0013|     THE ENTIRETY OF HIS NATURAL LIFE; AMENDING A SECTION OF THE
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0014|     NMSA 1978.
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0015|     
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0016|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0017|          Section 1.  Section 31-21-10 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1980,
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0018|     Chapter 28, Section 1, as amended) is amended to read:
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0019|          "31-21-10.  PAROLE AUTHORITY AND PROCEDURE.--
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0020|               A.  An inmate of an institution who was sentenced to
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0021|     life imprisonment as the result of the commission of a capital
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0022|     felony <s>[who was convicted of three violent felonies and
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<s></s>0023| <s>    sentenced pursuant to Sections 31-18-23 and 31-18-24 NMSA
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<s></s>0024| <s>    1978]</s> or who was convicted of two violent sexual offenses and
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0025|     sentenced pursuant to Sections 31-18-25 and 31-18-26 NMSA 1978
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0001|     <s>[becomes eligible for a parole hearing after he has served
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<s></s>0002| <s>    thirty years of his sentence.  Before ordering the parole of an
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<s></s>0003| <s>    inmate sentenced to life imprisonment, the board shall]</s> <u>is
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<u></u>0004| <u>    not eligible for parole and shall remain incarcerated for the
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<u></u>0005| <u>    entirety of his natural life</u>.
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0006|               <u>B.  An inmate of an institution who was convicted
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<u></u>0007| <u>    of three violent felonies and sentenced to life imprisonment
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<u></u>0008| <u>    pursuant to the provisions of Sections 31-18-23 and 31-18-24
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<u></u>0009| <u>    NMSA 1978 is eligible for a parole hearing after he has served
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<u></u>0010| <u>    thirty years of his sentence.  Before ordering the parole of an
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<u></u>0011| <u>    inmate sentenced to life imprisonment pursuant to the
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<u></u>0012| <u>    provisions of Sections 31-18-23 and 31-18-24 NMSA 1978, the
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<u></u>0013| <u>    board shall:</u>
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0014|                    (1)  interview the inmate at the institution
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0015|     where he is committed;
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0016|                    (2)  consider all pertinent information
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0017|     concerning the inmate, including:
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0018|                         (a)  the circumstances of the <s>[offense]</s>
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0019|     <u>offenses</u>;
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0020|                         (b)  mitigating and aggravating
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0021|     circumstances;
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0022|                         (c)  whether a deadly weapon was used in
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0023|     the commission of the <s>[offense]</s> <u>offenses</u>;
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0024|                         <s>[(d)  whether the inmate is a habitual
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<s></s>0025| <s>    offender;
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<s></s>0001| <s>                        (e)]</s> <u>(d)</u>  the reports filed under
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0002|     Section
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0003|     31-21-9 NMSA 1978; and
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0004|                         <s>[(f)]</s> <u>(e)</u>  the reports of such
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0005|     physical and mental examinations as have been made while in
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0006|     prison;
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0007|                    (3)  make a finding that a parole is in the
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0008|     best interest of society and the inmate; and
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0009|                    (4)  make a finding that the inmate is able and
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0010|     willing to fulfill the obligations of a law-abiding citizen.
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0011|          If parole is denied, the inmate sentenced to life
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0012|     imprisonment shall again become entitled to a parole hearing at
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0013|     two-year intervals.  The board may, on its own motion, reopen
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0014|     any case in which a hearing has already been granted and parole
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0015|     denied.
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0016|               B.  Unless the board finds that it is in the best
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0017|     interest of society and the parolee to reduce the period of
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0018|     parole, a person who was convicted of a capital felony shall be
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0019|     required to undergo a minimum period of parole of five years. 
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0020|     During the period of parole, the person shall be under the
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0021|     guidance and supervision of the board.]
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0022|               C.  An inmate who was convicted of a first, second
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0023|     or third degree felony and who has served the sentence of
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0024|     imprisonment imposed by the court in a corrections facility
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0025|     designated by the corrections department shall be required to
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0001|     undergo a two-year period of parole.  An inmate who was
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0002|     convicted of a fourth degree felony and who has served the
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0003|     sentence of imprisonment imposed by the court in a corrections
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0004|     facility designated by the corrections department shall be
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0005|     required to undergo a one-year period of parole.  During the
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0006|     period of parole, the person shall be under the guidance and
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0007|     supervision of the board.
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0008|               D.  Every person while on parole shall remain in the
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0009|     legal custody of the institution from which he was released,
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0010|     but shall be subject to the orders of the board.  The board
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0011|     shall furnish to each inmate as a prerequisite to his release
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0012|     under its supervision a written statement of the conditions of
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0013|     parole that shall be accepted and agreed to by the inmate as
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0014|     evidenced by his signature affixed to a duplicate copy to be
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0015|     retained in the files of the board.  The board shall also
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0016|     require as a prerequisite to release the submission and
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0017|     approval of a parole plan.  If an inmate refuses to affix his
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0018|     signature to the written statement of the conditions of his
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0019|     parole or does not have an approved parole plan, he shall not
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0020|     be released and shall remain in the custody of the corrections
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0021|     facility in which he has served his sentence, excepting parole,
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0022|     until such time as the period of parole he was required to
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0023|     serve, less meritorious deductions, if any, expires, at which
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0024|     time he shall be released from that facility without parole, or
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0025|     until such time that he evidences his acceptance and agreement
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0001|     to the conditions of parole as required or receives approval
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0002|     for his parole plan or both.  Time served from the date that an
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0003|     inmate refuses to accept and agree to the conditions of parole
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0004|     or fails to receive approval for his parole plan shall reduce
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0005|     the period, if any, to be served under parole at a later date. 
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0006|     If the district court has ordered that the inmate make
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0007|     restitution to a victim as provided in Section 31-17-1 NMSA
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0008|     1978, the board shall include restitution as a condition of
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0009|     parole.  The board shall also personally apprise the inmate of
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0010|     the conditions of parole and his duties relating thereto.
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0011|               E.  When a person on parole has performed the
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0012|     obligations of his release for the period of parole provided in
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0013|     this section, the board shall make a final order of discharge
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0014|     and issue him a certificate of discharge.
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0015|               F.  Pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-18-15
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0016|     NMSA 1978, the board shall require the inmate as a condition of
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0017|     parole:
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0018|                    (1)  to pay the actual costs of his parole
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0019|     services to the adult probation and parole division of the
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0020|     corrections department for deposit to the corrections
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0021|     department intensive supervision fund not exceeding one
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0022|     thousand twenty dollars ($1,020) annually to be paid in monthly
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0023|     installments of not less than fifteen dollars ($15.00) and not
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0024|     more than eighty-five dollars ($85.00), subject to modification
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0025|     by the adult probation and parole division on the basis of
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0001|     changed financial circumstances; and
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0002|                    (2)  to reimburse a law enforcement agency or
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0003|     local crime stopper program for the amount of any reward paid
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0004|     by the agency or program for information leading to his arrest,
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0005|     prosecution or conviction.
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0006|               G.  The provisions of this section shall apply to
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0007|     all inmates except geriatric, permanently incapacitated and
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0008|     terminally ill inmates eligible for the medical and geriatric
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0009|     parole program as provided by the Parole Board Act."
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0010|          Section 2.  EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
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0011|     provisions of this act is July 1, 1997.
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0012|                                - 6 -
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0013|            
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0014|   
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0015|                      FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
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0016|                        FIRST SESSION, 1997
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0017|   
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0018|   
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0019|                                               February 19, 1997
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0020|   
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0021|   Mr. President:
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0022|   
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0023|       Your PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, to whom has been
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0024|   referred
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0025|   
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0001|                          SENATE BILL 543
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0002|   
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0003|   has had it under consideration and reports same with
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0004|   recommendation that it DO PASS, and thence referred to the
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0005|   JUDICIARY COMMITTEE.
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0006|   
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0007|                                Respectfully submitted,
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0008|   
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0009|   
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0010|   
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0011|                                
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0012|   __________________________________
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0013|                                Shannon Robinson, Chairman 
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0014|   
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0015|   
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0016|   
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0017|   Adopted_______________________   Not
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0018|   Adopted_______________________
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0019|             (Chief Clerk)                          (Chief Clerk)
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0020|   
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0021|   
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0022|                     Date ________________________
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0023|   
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0024|   
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0025|   The roll call vote was <u> 5 </u> For <u> 0 </u> Against
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0001|           Yes:    5
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0002|           No:     0
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0003|                Excused:     Feldman, Garcia, Rodarte, Smith
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0004|           Absent: None
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0005|   
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0006|   
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0007|   S0543PA1
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0008|   
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