0001|                           SENATE BILL 266
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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|                          NANCY E. RODRIGUEZ
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0005|     
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0006|                                   
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0007|     
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0008|             FOR THE HEALTH AND WELFARE REFORM COMMITTEE 
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0009|     
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0010|                                AN ACT
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0011|     RELATING TO HEALTH CARE ACCESS; ESTABLISHING A GEOGRAPHIC
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0012|     ACCESS DATA SYSTEM; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
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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.  SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the
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0016|     "Geographic Access Data System Act."
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0017|          Section 2.  PURPOSE OF THE ACT.--The purpose of the
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0018|     Geographic Access Data System Act is to provide access to data
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0019|     and information to assist the commission, the legislature and
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0020|     other agencies and organizations in administering programs,
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0021|     planning, formulating policy and allocating resources to
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0022|     improve geographic access to health services.
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0023|          Section 3.  DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Geographic
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0024|     Access Data System Act:
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0025|               A.  "commission" means the New Mexico health policy
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0001|     commission;
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0002|               B.  "health information system" means the
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0003|     integrated, statewide data system specified in the Health
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0004|     Information System Act; and
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0005|               C.  "person" means individual or any other legal
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0006|     entity.
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0007|          Section 4.  DATA SYSTEM--CREATION--COMMISSION DUTIES.--
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0008|               A.  The commission shall establish and operate the
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0009|     geographic access data system.
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0010|               B.  The commission shall collect data sufficient
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0011|     to:
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0012|                    (1)  longitudinally monitor the geographic
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0013|     availability of health services;
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0014|                    (2)  assess the contribution to, impact and
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0015|     cost-effectiveness of initiatives to improve geographic access
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0016|     to health care, including health professional education and
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0017|     training programs and initiatives to enhance access in rural
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0018|     and underserved areas;
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0019|                    (3)  allow for allocation of resources based
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0020|     on the need for various health professionals in different
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0021|     geographic areas;
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0022|                    (4)  enable the state to target resources and
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0023|     interventions to those geographic areas and health
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0024|     professionals most in need by the state;
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0025|                    (5)  provide information to assist in the
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0001|     effective administration of programs to improve the supply and
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0002|     distribution of health professionals and services;
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0003|                    (6)  project future needs for health
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0004|     professionals and services; and
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0005|                    (7)  meet the information needs of the variety
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0006|     of public and private entities with interests in the supply
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0007|     and distribution of health professionals and geographic access
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0008|     to health services.
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0009|               C.  The geographic access data system shall be
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0010|     available in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 of
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0011|     the Geographic Access Data System Act and shall provide a
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0012|     single point of access to data:
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0013|                    (1)  maintained by the state related to health
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0014|     service capacity and distribution;
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0015|                    (2)  pertaining to the supply and availability
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0016|     of health professionals; and
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0017|                    (3)  regarding state initiatives to improve
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0018|     geographic access.
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0019|               D.  The commission shall:
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0020|                    (1)  utilize data already maintained in other
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0021|     databases and by other entities, to the extent feasible and
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0022|     accessible to the commission;
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0023|                    (2)  establish data definitions, formats and
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0024|     other information standards for the data maintained as part of
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0025|     the geographic access data system;
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0001|                    (3)  make available, at least annually, a
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0002|     report on the geographic availability of health services and
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0003|     the supply and distribution of health professionals;
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0004|                    (4)  establish geographic access and capacity
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0005|     standards and methodologies to assess the relative needs of
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0006|     geographic service areas and for different health
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0007|     professionals;
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0008|                    (5)  assess fees for special analysis, data
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0009|     requests and dissemination to assist in the operation and
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0010|     development of the geographic access data system; and
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0011|                    (6)  identify and seek other sources of
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0012|     resources to support the geographic access data system.
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0013|               E.  The commission shall promulgate regulations
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0014|     necessary to carry out the Geographic Access Data System Act,
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0015|     in accordance with state law.
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0016|               F.  The commission shall collect data in the most
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0017|     cost-effective manner.
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0018|          Section 5.  ADVISORY COMMITTEE.--
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0019|               A.  The commission shall establish an advisory
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0020|     committee representative of the data source entities using
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0021|     geographic access information, the health service industry and
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0022|     health professionals.
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0023|               B.  The advisory committee shall develop
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0024|     recommendations on:
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0025|                    (1)  data needs and sources;
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0001|                    (2)  data collection procedures;
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0002|                    (3)  data analysis, report formats and
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0003|     information disseminated; and
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0004|                    (4)  access to data maintained as part of the
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0005|     geographic access data system.
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0006|               C.  The advisory committee shall review, no less
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0007|     than every three years, the need for existing data collected
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0008|     and maintained as part of the geographic access data system
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0009|     and the cost-effectiveness of maintaining the data.
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0010|          Section 6.  AGENCY COOPERATION.--
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0011|               A.  The department of health; the human services
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0012|     department; the commission on higher education; the various
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0013|     health professional licensing boards authorized in Chapter 61
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0014|     NMSA 1978; the university of New Mexico; New Mexico state
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0015|     university; and other state agencies in possession of data
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0016|     pertaining to the geographic supply and distribution of health
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0017|     professionals and health services, including health
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0018|     professional education and training programs, shall cooperate
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0019|     with the commission in carrying out the provisions of the
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0020|     Geographic Access Data System Act, including making data
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0021|     available, collecting survey data and participating in the
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0022|     geographic access data system.
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0023|               B.  Health professional education and training
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0024|     programs, either directly or through the commission on higher
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0025|     education, shall provide data, including but not limited to
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0001|     that regarding individuals trained in health professions.
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0002|               C.  Health profession licensing boards shall
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0003|     provide the commission upon request information, including but
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0004|     not limited to the following:
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0005|                    (1)  basic data maintained as part of the
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0006|     licensing and relicensing procedure, including, as applicable,
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0007|     identification data such as name, license number, social
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0008|     security number, date of birth and gender; education and
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0009|     training institutions and locations; specialty certification;
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0010|     year of first licensure; type of license; status of license;
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0011|     and practice address; and
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0012|                    (2)  responses to surveys provided by the
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0013|     commission to be completed as part of the licensing process by
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0014|     the health professionals regarding the characteristics of
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0015|     their current and future practice.
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0016|               D.  Initiatives funded or operated by the state to
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0017|     improve the supply of health professionals in rural and
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0018|     underserved areas shall provide the commission data, including
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0019|     but not limited to information sufficient to enable the
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0020|     immediate and long-term assessment of the impact of such
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0021|     programs, their cost-effectiveness and impact on geographic
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0022|     access in the state.
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0023|               E.  Upon making any request for data pursuant to
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0024|     the Geographic Access Data System Act, the commission shall
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0025|     take into consideration the cost of supplying such data and
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0001|     give reasonable notice and deadlines for compliance.
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0002|          Section 7.  ACCESS.--
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0003|               A.  Access to data in the geographic access data
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0004|     system shall be provided in accordance with regulations
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0005|     adopted by the commission pursuant to and to fulfill the
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0006|     purpose of the Geographic Access Data System Act.
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0007|               B.  Any data source may obtain access to data it
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0008|     has submitted to the geographic access data system.
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0009|               C.  Any person may obtain aggregate data.
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0010|               D.  Except as provided for in this section, any
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0011|     data collected is strictly confidential and shall not be a
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0012|     matter of public record or accessible to the public.
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0013|               E.  No data source shall be liable for damages to
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0014|     any person for having furnished information in accordance with
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0015|     the Geographic Access Data System Act.
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0016|          Section 8.  APPROPRIATION.--Seventy-five thousand dollars
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0017|     ($75,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the New
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0018|     Mexico health policy commission for expenditure in fiscal year
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0019|     1999 to pay salaries and benefits and other costs necessary to
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0020|     establish and maintain the geographic access data system and
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0021|     administer the provisions of the Geographic Access Data System
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0022|     Act.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the
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0023|     end of fiscal year 1999 shall revert to the general fund.
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0024|          Section 9.  EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
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0025|     provisions of this act is July 1, 1998.
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