0001|                            HOUSE BILL 294
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0002|     43RD LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, 1998
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                            KIP W. NICELY
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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|     CREATING THE NEW MEXICO STATUTORY REVISION COMMISSION;
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0012|     PROVIDING POWERS AND DUTIES; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION;
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0013|     DECLARING AN EMERGENCY.
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0014|     
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0015|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0016|          Section 1.  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.--
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0017|               A.  The legislature finds that the statutes of New
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0018|     Mexico have not been recodified, recompiled or revised in
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0019|     whole since 1978 and have since become unwieldy and
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0020|     disorganized and are filled with archaic language and obsolete
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0021|     acts.
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0022|               B.  The legislature further finds that because of
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0023|     the lack of a code revisor's office in the legislature, and in
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0024|     light of the upcoming millenium, comprehensive revision of the
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0025|     statutes has become necessary.
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0001|          Section 2.  NEW MEXICO STATUTORY REVISION COMMISSION--
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0002|     CREATION--COMPOSITION--TERMS.--
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0003|               A.  The "New Mexico statutory revision commission"
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0004|     is created.  The commission shall function from the date of
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0005|     its appointment until December 31 prior to the second session
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0006|     of the forty-fourth legislature.  The commission shall be
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0007|     composed of twenty-one members as follows:
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0008|                    (1)  three members from the house of
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0009|     representatives appointed by the speaker of the house, of whom
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0010|     no more than two shall be from the same political party;
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0011|                    (2)  three members from the senate, appointed
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0012|     by the president pro tempore of the senate, of whom no more
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0013|     than two shall be from the same political party;
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0014|                    (3)  four members appointed by the governor
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0015|     from the executive branch; and
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0016|                    (4)  five members of the public, of whom one
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0017|     shall be appointed by the speaker of the house, one shall be
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0018|     appointed by the minority floor leader of the house, one shall
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0019|     be appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate, one
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0020|     shall be appointed by the minority floor leader of the senate
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0021|     and one shall be appointed by the governor.  The appointing
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0022|     legislators and the governor shall coordinate their
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0023|     appointments of public members to ensure that the members
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0024|     reflect diverse knowledge of statutory law and that no more
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0025|     than three members be from the same party.
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0001|               B.  The speaker of the house, the president pro
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0002|     tempore of the senate, the director of the legislative council
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0003|     service, the governor, the chief justice of the supreme court
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0004|     and the attorney general shall serve as ex-officio members.
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0005|               C.  The speaker of the house, in consultation with
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0006|     the president pro tempore of the senate, shall appoint the
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0007|     chairman.
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0008|               D.  The public members of the commission shall be
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0009|     paid per diem and mileage in accordance with the provisions of
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0010|     the Per Diem and Mileage Act.
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0011|          Section 3.  DUTIES.--The New Mexico statutory revision
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0012|     commission shall examine the statutes of New Mexico and other
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0013|     states to recommend changes in the statutes as it deems
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0014|     necessary.  The commission shall report its findings and
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0015|     recommendations, including proposed bill drafts, to the
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0016|     legislative council and the governor no later than thirty days
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0017|     prior to the commencement of the first session of the forty-
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0018|     fourth legislature.
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0019|          Section 4.  STAFF.--The staff for the New Mexico
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0020|     statutory revision commission shall be provided by the
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0021|     legislative council service.  The director of the legislative
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0022|     council service may also contract for additional assistance.
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0023|          Section 5.  APPROPRIATION.--Fifty thousand dollars
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0024|     ($50,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the New
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0025|     Mexico statutory revision commission for expenditure in fiscal
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0001|     years 1999 and 2000 to carry out the duties specified in
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0002|     Section 3 of this act.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance
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0003|     remaining at the end of fiscal year 2000 shall revert to the
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0004|     general fund.
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0005|          Section 6.  EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0006|     peace, health and safety that this act take effect
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0007|     immediately.
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0008|                              
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