0001|                          HOUSE MEMORIAL 22
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0002|     43rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 1997
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0003|                            INTRODUCED BY
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0004|                           TIMOTHY E. MACKO
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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|                              A MEMORIAL
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0011|     COMMENDING THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR ESTABLISHING HIGH
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0012|     ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND ENSURING PURSUIT OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM BY
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0013|     ADOPTING RIGOROUS STATE SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS.
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0014|     
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0015|          WHEREAS, science is a special way of knowing and
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0016|     understanding the physical world that uses the "scientific
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0017|     method" to conduct rigorous investigations into processes that
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0018|     are observable and repeatable; and
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0019|          WHEREAS, science is a discipline that employs skeptical
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0020|     peer review and experiments attempting to falsify ongoing and
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0021|     prior scientific work to ensure the validity and integrity of
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0022|     results; and
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0023|          WHEREAS, historic processes such as the origin of the
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0024|     physical universe and biologic life were not observed and have
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0025|     not been repeated; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, theories of biologic origins vary widely in
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0002|     proof, evidences and belief; and
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0003|          WHEREAS, the theory of evolution posits a pre-biotic soup
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0004|     from which biologic life emanated, postulates that all life
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0005|     emanated from a common ancestor and requires transitional forms
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0006|     as evidence of macro-evolution between species forms; and 
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0007|          WHEREAS, no extant fossil evidence exists for this pre-
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0008|     biotic soup, no fossil or any other evidence exists for this
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0009|     common ancestor and noted evolutionists have described the
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0010|     extreme scarcity of transitional forms as the "trade secret of
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0011|     paleontology"; and
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0012|          WHEREAS, the accepted evolutionary explanation for macro-
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0013|     evolution leading to transitional forms is beneficial mutation,
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0014|     yet the observation of beneficial mutations is so rare that
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0015|     they cannot be the source of transitional forms; and
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0016|          WHEREAS, noted evolutionary biologists observe that in
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0017|     order for the theory of evolution to be correct, there must be
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0018|     evidence of progression within species from one form to another
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0019|     and there must be evidence of transition to new forms, yet
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0020|     observations overwhelmingly indicate that species display
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0021|     remarkable stasis with little, if any, proclivity toward change
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0022|     or evolution into another species; and
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0023|          WHEREAS, an organism's hereditary characteristics are
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0024|     transferred through DNA, yet DNA structure is specifically
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0025|     designed to be robust against change; and
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0001|          WHEREAS, the theory of evolution requires transformation
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0002|     from simple to complex cells as well as a suitable explanation
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0003|     for the production of complexity from randomness, yet no
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0004|     mechanism for such processes is observed, recorded or evident
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0005|     in the geological record and no causal mechanism to explain the
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0006|     process necessary to produce even a single gene has been
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0007|     advanced; and
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0008|          WHEREAS, probability theory shows that even the simplest
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0009|     life cannot have arisen from random action, time and chance,
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0010|     and modern information theory shows that random processes
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0011|     cannot produce the observed genetic structures given the number
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0012|     of elementary particle interactions available in cosmological
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0013|     time; and
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0014|          WHEREAS, it is the policy of the state of New Mexico to
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0015|     enhance the self-esteem of students in the classroom, yet the
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0016|     teaching of a theory that indicates that children evolved in a
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0017|     meaningless manner through highly improbable random
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0018|     fluctuations in a pre-biotic soup can result in a particularly
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0019|     negative impact on a student's self-esteem; and
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0020|          WHEREAS, because of these findings, and because of the
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0021|     availability of various theories of biological origins, the
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0022|     legislature affirms and agrees with the position of the state
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0023|     board of education that various theories of biologic origins be
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0024|     taught in the public school system;
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0025|          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
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0001|     REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the state board
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0002|     of education be commended for excellence in establishing high
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0003|     academic standards and for ensuring the pursuit of academic
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0004|     freedom by adopting rigorous state science content standards;
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0005|     and
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0006|          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
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0007|     sent to the members of the state board of education.
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0008|                                                         State of New Mexico
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0009|                      House of Representatives
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0010|   
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0011|                      FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
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0012|                        FIRST SESSION, 1997
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0013|   
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0014|   
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0015|                                                  March 15, 1997
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0016|   
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0017|   
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0018|   Mr. Speaker:
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0019|   
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0020|        Your EDUCATION COMMITTEE, to whom has been referred
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0021|   
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0022|                      HOUSE MEMORIAL 22
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0023|                               
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0024|   has had it under consideration and reports same with
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0025|   recommendation that it DO PASS, and thence referred to the
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0001|   BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY COMMITTEE.
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0002|   
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0003|                                 Respectfully submitted,
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0004|   
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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|                                                              Samuel F. Vigil, Chairman
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0010|   
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0011|   
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0012|   Adopted                          Not Adopted                     
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0013|    
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0014|             (Chief Clerk)                       (Chief Clerk)
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0015|   
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0016|                        Date             
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0017|   
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0018|   The roll call vote was 5  For 2  Against
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0019|   Yes:      5
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0020|             No:       Beam, S.M. Williams
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0021|             Excused:  Mallory, Miera, McSherry, Nicely, Weeks, Wright
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0022|             Absent:   None
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0023|   
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0024|   
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0025|   C:\OFFICE\WPWIN\WPDOCS\HM022EC1.WPD                       State of New Mexico
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0001|                      House of Representatives
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0002|   
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0003|                      FORTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE
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0004|                        FIRST SESSION, 1997
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0005|   
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0006|   
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0007|                                                  March 18, 1997
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0008|   
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0009|   
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0010|   Mr. Speaker:
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0011|   
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0012|        Your BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY COMMITTEE, to whom
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0013|   has been referred
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0014|   
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0015|                      HOUSE MEMORIAL 22
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0016|                               
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0017|   has had it under consideration and reports same with
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0018|   recommendation that it DO PASS, and thence referred to the
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0019|   JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. 
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0020|   
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0021|                                 Respectfully submitted,
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0022|   
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0023|   
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0024|   
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0025|                                                                 
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0001|   
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0002|                                                              Fred Luna, Chairman
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0003|   
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0004|   
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0005|   Adopted                          Not Adopted                     
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0006|    
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0007|             (Chief Clerk)                       (Chief Clerk)
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0008|   
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0009|                        Date             
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0010|   
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0011|   The roll call vote was 8  For 0  Against
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0012|   Yes:      8
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0013|             Excused:  Alwin, Corley, Hobbs, Varela
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0014|             Absent:   Getty
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0015|   
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0016|   
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0017|   G:\BILLTEXT\BILLW_97\HM022
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