1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA |
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2| 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023) |
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3|SENATE BILL 110 By: Weaver |
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6| AS INTRODUCED |
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7| An Act relating to career and technology education; |
| amending 70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-108, which relates |
8| to technology center school district governing |
| boards; directing the State Board of Career and |
9| Technology Education to divide districts with a |
| certain number of electors into board zones; |
10| providing for election of board members after certain |
| date; providing for filling of vacancy if certain |
11| member is no longer a resident of certain zone; |
| providing for promulgation of rules; providing an |
12| effective date; and declaring an emergency. |
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14| |
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15|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: |
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16| SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 14-108, is |
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17|amended to read as follows: |
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18| Section 14-108. A. The State Board of Career and Technology |
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19|Education shall prescribe criteria and procedures for the |
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20|establishment and governance of technology center school districts, |
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21|as provided by Section 9B, Article X, of the Oklahoma Constitution, |
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22|and such districts so established shall be operated in accordance |
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23|with rules of the State Board of Career and Technology Education, |
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24|except as otherwise provided in this title. |
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1| B. A technology center school district shall be a body |
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2|corporate and shall possess the usual powers of a corporation for |
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3|public purposes. Its official name shall be designated by the State |
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4|Board of Career and Technology Education, in which name it may sue |
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5|and be sued, and be capable of contracting and being contracted |
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6|with, and holding real and personal estate. |
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7| C. The governing board of a technology center school district |
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8|shall be a board of education consisting of not less than five (5) |
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9|nor more than seven (7) members. Except as otherwise provided for |
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10|in subsection subsections D and E of this section, all members of |
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11|the board of education shall be elected in a manner prescribed by |
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12|the State Board of Career and Technology Education. The State Board |
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13|shall promulgate rules prescribing the manner in which the elections |
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14|required by this subsection are held. |
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15| D. In a technology center school district that serves seventy |
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16|or more public school districts, the territory of the school |
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17|district shall be divided into district zones by the State Board of |
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18|Career and Technology Education. Between August 1 and December 31 |
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19|of the year following the submission by the United States Department |
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20|of Commerce to the President of the United States of the official |
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21|Federal Decennial Census, the Board shall reapportion the territory |
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22|of the technology center school district into district zones. All |
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23|boundaries of district zones shall follow clearly visible, |
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24|definable, and observable physical boundaries which are based upon |
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1|criteria established and recognized by the Bureau of the Census of |
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2|the United States Department of Commerce for purposes of defining |
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3|census blocks for its decennial census and shall follow, as much as |
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4|possible, precinct boundaries. District zones shall be compact, |
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5|contiguous and shall be as equal in population as practical with not |
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6|more than a five-percent variance between the most populous and |
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7|least populous district zones. The board of education of a |
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8|technology center school district shall consist of one member |
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9|elected from each of the district zones of the school district |
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10|created pursuant to this subsection. The electors of each district |
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11|zone shall elect a person, who is a resident of the district zone, |
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12|to represent the district zone on the school board. If during the |
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13|term of office to which a person was elected, that member ceases to |
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14|be a resident of the district zone for which the person was elected, |
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15|the office shall become vacant and the vacancy shall be filled as |
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16|provided in Section 13A-110 of Title 26 of the Oklahoma Statutes. |
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17|The State Board of Career and Technology Education shall promulgate |
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18|rules prescribing the manner in which the elections required by this |
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19|subsection are held. |
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20| E. In technology center school districts having a population of |
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21|more than two hundred twenty-five thousand (225,000) electors, the |
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22|territory of the district shall be divided into board zones by the |
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23|State Board of Career and Technology Education. The board of |
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24|education of the technology center school district shall consist of |
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1|one member elected from each of the district zones. Beginning with |
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2|any election held after July 1, 2023, the electors of each district |
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3|zone shall elect a person who is a resident of the district zone to |
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4|represent the district zone on the school board. If during the term |
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5|of office to which a person was elected, that member ceases to be a |
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6|resident of the district zone for which the person was elected, the |
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7|office shall become vacant, and the vacancy shall be filled as |
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8|provided for in Section 13A-110 of Title 26 of the Oklahoma |
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9|Statutes. The State Board of Career and Technology Education shall |
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10|promulgate rules prescribing the manner in which the elections |
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11|required by this subsection are held. |
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12| F. The board of education of a technology center school |
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13|district shall have the same powers and duties that boards of |
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14|education of independent school districts have. It may require |
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15|nonresident students to pay reasonable tuition fees, which may be |
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16|paid for a student by the independent or elementary school district |
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17|in which the student resides. |
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18| F. G. An election to vote on the question of making a levy of |
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19|not to exceed five (5) mills on the dollar valuation of the taxable |
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20|property in a technology center school district under the provisions |
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21|of subsection A, Section 9B, Article X, of the Oklahoma |
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22|Constitution, shall be called by the board of education and |
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23|conducted by the county election board of such district in the same |
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24|manner that elections for emergency levies in school districts under |
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1|the provisions of subsection (d), Section 9(d), Article X, of the |
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2|Oklahoma Constitution, are called and conducted. When such levy is |
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3|approved by a majority of the electors of the technology center |
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4|school district voting on the question at such election, the levy |
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5|shall be made each fiscal year thereafter until repealed by a |
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6|majority of the electors of the district voting on the question at |
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7|an election called for such purpose. An election to vote on the |
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8|question of making a local incentive levy of not to exceed five (5) |
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9|mills on the dollar valuation of the taxable property in a |
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10|technology center school district under the provisions of subsection |
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11|B of Section 9B of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution, may be |
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12|called by the board of education; and elections on a levy for a |
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13|building fund for an area school district under the provisions of |
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14|Section 10, Article X, Oklahoma Constitution, shall be called by the |
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15|board of education of such district and conducted by the county |
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16|election board in the same manner that elections for similar levies |
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17|are called and conducted in independent school districts. |
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18| G. H. Annual estimates of needs of technology center school |
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19|districts shall be made and approved in the same manner that those |
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20|of independent school districts are made and approved. Provided, |
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21|that the State Board of Career and Technology Education shall |
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22|prescribe a list of appropriation accounts by which the funds of |
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23|technology center school districts shall be budgeted, accounted for |
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24|and expended. Any such estimate of needs may include an estimate of |
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1|federal funds as probable income from sources other than ad valorem |
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2|tax of the district and other than any excise or other tax assessed |
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3|by legislative enactment and distributed in lieu of ad valorem |
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4|taxes. If a technology center school district lies in more than one |
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5|county, the district's estimate of needs shall be filed with and |
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6|approved by the county excise board of the county designated by the |
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7|school district board of education. |
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8| H. I. Territory may be annexed to or detached from a technology |
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9|center school district, in accordance with rules prescribed by the |
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10|State Board of Career and Technology Education. If the State Board |
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11|of Career and Technology Education requires the submission of a |
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12|petition in order for an election to be called for the purpose of |
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13|annexation or deannexation of territory to a technology center |
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14|school district, such petition shall not be required to bear a |
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15|number of technology center school district electors' signatures |
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16|which exceed fifty percent (50%) of the number of technology center |
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17|school district electors who voted in the last school board election |
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18|in the territory proposed to be annexed or deannexed. Provided, the |
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19|period of time from which the petition is initiated to its time of |
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20|filing with the State Board shall not exceed ninety (90) days. |
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21| I. J. Schools of technology center school districts shall be |
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22|subject to classification, inspection, and accreditation by the |
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23|State Board of Education. |
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1| J. K. The technology center school board of education may |
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2|designate a county treasurer to serve as treasurer of the school |
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3|district or may appoint an independent treasurer. |
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4| K. L. Within four (4) years after the creation of a technology |
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5|center school district, such school district may, at its discretion, |
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6|permit a teacher to transfer any or all accrued benefits upon |
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7|employment including credit for years of service in the previous |
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8|school district by the technology center school district, if the |
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9|teacher at the time of hiring is employed as a teacher by an |
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10|independent or elementary school district which is all or partly |
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11|within the boundaries of the technology center school district or is |
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12|employed as a teacher in a skills center within the boundaries of |
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13|the school district. |
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14| L. M. The board of education of a technology center school |
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15|district may convey surplus personal property without consideration |
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16|to: |
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17| 1. A school district that is within the boundary of the |
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18|technology center school district; |
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19| 2. A public school offering secondary level education which was |
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20|created and is operated by the State of Oklahoma this state and that |
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21|is within the boundary of the technology center school district; |
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22| 3. A technology center school district; or |
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23| 4. The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education |
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24|for the support or delivery of department initiatives. |
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1| M. N. The board of education of a technology center school |
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2|district may, without prior approval of the State Board of Career |
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3|and Technology Education, approve all plans and specifications for |
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4|technology center school buildings, additions, and major |
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5|modifications to school buildings that are designed to provide for |
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6|the offering of vocational-technical education programs and services |
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7|when the cost of the building project is to be paid with local |
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8|levies or state bond monies or both local levies and state bond |
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9|monies. |
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10| SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023. |
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11| SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation |
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12|of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby |
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13|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and |
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14|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. |
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