0001|                            HOUSE BILL 335
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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|                           JAMES G. TAYLOR
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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|     MAKING APPROPRIATIONS TO THE STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION AND
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0012|     THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR A TELECOMMUNICATIONS EARNINGS
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0013|     INVESTIGATION; 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.  APPROPRIATION.--
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0017|               A.  Three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) is
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0018|     appropriated from the general fund to the state corporation
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0019|     commission for expenditure in fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for
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0020|     the purpose of paying salaries, expenses and consulting fees
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0021|     of technical and clerical staff engaged in the investigation
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0022|     of the earnings of telecommunications corporations as
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0023|     specified in Subsection C of this section.  Any unexpended or
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0024|     unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 1999
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0025|     shall revert to the general fund.
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0001|               B.  One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) is
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0002|     appropriated from the general fund to the office of the
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0003|     attorney general for expenditure in fiscal years 1998 and 1999
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0004|     for the purpose of paying salaries and expenses of staff and
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0005|     consultants engaged in the investigation of earnings of
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0006|     telecommunications corporations as specified in Subsection C
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0007|     of this section.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance
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0008|     remaining at the end of fiscal year 1999 shall revert to the
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0009|     general fund.
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0010|               C.  The state corporation commission and the
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0011|     attorney general shall use the appropriations provided by this
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0012|     section to investigate the earnings of telecommunications
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0013|     corporations having more than one hundred thousand local
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0014|     exchange access lines in this state and to investigate the
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0015|     fairness of rates charged customers of local exchange services
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0016|     by such telecommunications corporations.  The investigation
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0017|     shall be concluded no later than December 1, 1998.  If as a
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0018|     result of this investigation the state corporation commission
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0019|     finds that a telecommunications corporation has exceeded its
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0020|     allowable earnings for the years following its last rate case,
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0021|     the commission shall collect all such over-earnings and place
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0022|     such over-earnings in the New Mexico universal service fund,
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0023|     established pursuant to Section 63-9A-6.1 NMSA 1978.
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0024|          Section 2.  EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0025|     peace, health and safety that this act take effect
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0001|     immediately.
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0002|                              
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