0001|                         HOUSE BILL 704
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0002|     42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION,
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0003|     1996
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0004|                         INTRODUCED BY
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0005|                      LEO C. WATCHMAN, JR.
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0006|     
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0007|                                
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0008|     
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0009|                 FOR THE INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
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0010|                                  
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0011|                             AN ACT
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0012|     RELATING TO INDIAN AFFAIRS; DEFINING INDIAN COUNTRY FOR PURPOSES
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0013|     OF THE STATUTES; AMENDING A SECTION OF THE NMSA 1978; DECLARING
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0014|     AN EMERGENCY.
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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 12-2-2 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1880,
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0018|     Chapter 6, Section 32, as amended) is amended to read:
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0019|       "12-2-2.  RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.--In the construction of
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0020|     constitutional and statutory provisions, the following rules
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0021|     shall be observed unless such construction would be inconsistent
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0022|     with the manifest intent of the legislature or repugnant to the
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0023|     context of the constitutional provision or statute:
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0024|            A.  words and phrases shall be construed according to
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0025|     the context and the approved usage of the language, but
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0001|     technical words and phrases and such others as may have acquired
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0002|     a peculiar and appropriate meaning in law shall be construed
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0003|     according to such meaning;
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0004|            B.  words importing the singular number may be
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0005|     extended to several persons or things, words importing the
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0006|     plural number may be applied to one person or thing and words
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0007|     importing the masculine gender only may be extended to females;
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0008|            C.  words giving a joint authority to three or more
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0009|     public officers or other persons shall be construed as giving
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0010|     such authority to a majority of them unless otherwise expressed
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0011|     in the act giving them authority;
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0012|            D.  the word "oath" includes "affirmation" in all
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0013|     cases where an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and
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0014|     in like cases "swear" includes "affirm";
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0015|            E.  the word "person" may be extended to firms,
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0016|     associations and corporations;
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0017|            F.  the words "written" and "in writing" may include
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0018|     printing, engraving or any other mode of representing words and
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0019|     letters except where the written signature or mark of any person
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0020|     is required;
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0021|            G.  in computing time, the first day shall be
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0022|     excluded and the last included unless the last falls on Sunday,
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0023|     in which case the time prescribed shall be extended to include
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0024|     the whole of the following Monday;
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0025|            H.  in computing the time that a legislative session
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0001|     shall end, the word "day" means a twenty-four hour period from
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0002|     <s>[12:00]</s> <u>twelve</u> o'clock noon on one calendar day to <s>[12:00]</s>
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0003|     <u>twelve</u> o'clock noon on the next;
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0004|            I.  the words "shall" and "will" are mandatory, and
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0005|     "may" is permissive or directory;
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0006|            J.  the word "annually" means "per year"; <s>[and]</s>
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0007|            K.  a person reaches his "age of majority" on the
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0008|     first instant of his eighteenth birthday; <u>and
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<u></u>0009| <u>           L.  the term "Indian country" means:
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<u></u>0010| <u>                (1)  all land within the limits of any
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<u></u>0011| <u>    reservation of an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo under the
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<u></u>0012| <u>    jurisdiction of the United States government, notwithstanding
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<u></u>0013| <u>    the issuance of any patent and including rights of way running
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<u></u>0014| <u>    through the reservation;
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<u></u>0015| <u>                (2)  all dependent Indian communities within the
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<u></u>0016| <u>    borders of New Mexico whether within the original or
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<u></u>0017| <u>    subsequently acquired territory;
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<u></u>0018| <u>                (3)  all Indian allotments, the Indian titles to
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<u></u>0019| <u>    which have not been extinguished, including rights of way
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<u></u>0020| <u>    running through the allotments; and
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<u></u>0021| <u>                (4)  any lands, title to which is either held by
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<u></u>0022| <u>    the United States in trust for the benefit of any Indian nation,
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<u></u>0023| <u>    tribe, pueblo or tribal member or is held by any Indian nation,
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<u></u>0024| <u>    tribe, pueblo or tribal member subject to a restriction by the
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<u></u>0025| <u>    United States against alienation</u>."
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0001|       Section 2.  EMERGENCY.--It is necessary for the public
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0002|     peace, health and safety that this act take effect immediately.
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0003|                              -4-
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0004|             
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