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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 707 By: Pugh
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to school accreditation; amending 70
7 O.S. 2021, Section 3-104.4, which relates to
8 standards of accreditation for public schools;
8 directing standards to be adopted for accreditation
9 of public school districts rather than public
9 schools; directing standards to provide for
10 deficiencies; providing for closure of school
10 district that fails to receive or loses
11 accreditation; directing evaluations of school
11 districts to occur once every four years beginning in
12 certain school year; removing language allowing the
12 State Board of Education to interrupt certain
13 evaluation schedule; modifying reasons for which a
13 school district may be evaluated annually; providing
14 for annual evaluation of school districts that
14 receive one or more deficiencies beginning in certain
15 school year; updating statutory language; updating
15 statutory reference; providing an effective date; and
16 declaring an emergency.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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20 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 70 O.S. 2021, Section 3-104.4, is
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21 amended to read as follows:
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22 Section 3-104.4. A. The State Board of Education shall adopt
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23 standards for the accreditation of the public schools school
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24 districts in this state according to the requirements of Section 3-
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1 104.3 et seq. of this title, to be effective as set forth in Section
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2 3-104.3 et seq. of this title. The accreditation standards shall
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3 incorporate the curricular standards established pursuant to Section
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4 11-103.6 of this title. The accreditation standards shall equal or
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5 exceed nationally recognized accreditation standards to the extent
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6 that the standards are consistent with an academic results oriented
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7 approach to accreditation. The accreditation standards adopted by
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8 the State Board shall encompass accreditation for elementary
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9 schools, middle schools, junior high schools, and high schools. The
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10 accreditation standards shall be made available for public
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11 inspection at the offices of the State Department of Education.
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12 B. Standards for accreditation adopted by the State Board of
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13 Education shall include standards relating to the provision of
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14 school counselors to the public school children of this state. The
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15 State Board of Education shall require each local school district to
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16 provide information regarding the number of counselors serving each
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17 school site, the duties of all such counselors including all
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18 administrative duties, the number of students served by each
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19 counselor, and information regarding the number of counselors
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20 employed per elementary school, middle school, junior high school,
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21 and high school.
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22 C. Except as otherwise provided, schools school districts shall
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23 meet the accreditation standards as a condition of continued
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24 accreditation. Nothing herein shall be construed as preventing
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1 changes to the adopted standards by the State Board of Education
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2 pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act. The accreditation
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3 standards shall provide for deficiencies, warnings, probation, or
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4 nonaccredited status for schools school districts that fail to meet
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5 the one or more or all standards. The State Department of Education
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6 shall investigate a complaint of failure to provide educational
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7 services or failure to comply with accreditation standards within
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8 thirty (30) days of receiving the complaint. If the Department
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9 determines that a school district has failed to comply with the
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10 accreditation standards, the Department shall report the recommended
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11 deficiencies, warning, probation, or nonaccredited accreditation
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12 status to the State Board of Education within ninety (90) days. If
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13 a school district does not take action to comply with the
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14 accreditation standards within ninety (90) days after a report is
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15 filed by the Department, the Board shall withdraw accreditation for
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16 the public school district. The State Board of Education's
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17 accreditation regulations rules shall provide for warnings and for
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18 assistance to schools and school districts whenever there is reason
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19 to believe a school district is in danger of losing its state
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20 accreditation.
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21 D. If one or more a school sites fail district fails to receive
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22 accreditation as required pursuant to this section or subsequently
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23 lose loses accreditation, the State Board of Education shall close
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24 the school district and reassign the students to accredited schools
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1 within the district school districts or shall annex the district to
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2 one or more other districts in which the students can be educated in
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3 accredited schools.
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4 E. Standards for accreditation adopted by the State Board of
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5 Education shall include standards relating to the provision of
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6 educational services provided in partial hospitalization programs,
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7 day treatment programs, day hospital programs, residential treatment
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8 programs, and emergency shelter programs for persons between the
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9 ages of three (3) and twenty-one (21) years of age. The
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10 accreditation standards shall apply to on-site and off-site
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11 educational services provided by public school districts or state-
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12 accredited private schools. Each school district which is providing
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13 or is required to provide educational services for students placed
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14 in a program as described in this subsection shall be actively
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15 monitored by the State Department of Education. The Department
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16 shall determine on an ongoing basis if the educational program and
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17 services are in compliance with the accreditation standards.
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18 F. The State Board of Education shall provide assistance to
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19 districts in considering the possibility of meeting accreditation
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20 requirements through the use of nontraditional means of instruction.
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21 The State Board shall also assist districts in forming cooperatives
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22 and making arrangements for the use of satellite instruction or
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23 other instructional technologies to the extent that use of such
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24 instructional means meets accreditation standards.
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1 G. 1. Accreditation shall not be withdrawn from or denied nor
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2 shall a penalty be assessed against a school or school district for
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3 failing to meet the media materials and equipment standards, media
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4 program expenditure standards, and media personnel standards as set
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5 forth in the accreditation standards adopted by the Board.
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6 2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this subsection shall cease
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7 to be effective during the fiscal year which begins on the July 1
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8 immediately succeeding the legislative session during which the
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9 measure appropriating monies to the State Board of Education for the
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10 financial support of public schools is enacted as law and such
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11 appropriation amount is at least Fifty Million Dollars
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12 ($50,000,000.00) greater than the amount of money appropriated to
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13 the State Board of Education for the financial support of public
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14 schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, pursuant to
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15 Chapter 146, O.S.L. 2018. Provided, the Fifty Million Dollars
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16 ($50,000,000.00) shall not include any amount of appropriations
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17 dedicated for support or certified employee salary increases.
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18 Accreditation shall not be withdrawn from or denied nor shall a
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19 penalty be assessed against a school or school district for failing
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20 to meet the media personnel standards as set forth in accreditation
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21 standards adopted by the Board.
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22 H. 1. The State Board of Education shall not assess a
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23 financial penalty against any school district which is given a
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1 deficiency in accreditation status during any fiscal year as
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2 provided for in this subsection.
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3 2. Beginning with the fiscal year which begins July 1, 2021, if
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4 the amount of money appropriated to the State Board of Education for
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5 the financial support of public schools including funds apportioned
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6 pursuant to Section 2 Section 426 of this act Title 63 of the
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7 Oklahoma Statutes, is at least One Hundred Million Dollars
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8 ($100,000,000.00) greater than the amount of money appropriated to
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9 the State Board of Education for the financial support of public
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10 schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, pursuant to
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11 Chapter 146, O.S.L. 2018, a financial penalty shall be assessed
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12 against any school districts that do not comply with the class size
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13 limitations for kindergarten as provided for in Section 18-113.2 of
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14 this title and class size limitations for grade one as provided for
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15 in subsection A of Section 18-113.1 of this title. Provided, the
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16 One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000.00) shall not include any
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17 amount of appropriations dedicated for support or certified employee
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18 salary increases.
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19 3. The State Department of Education shall submit a report on
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20 statewide classroom sizes to the President Pro Tempore of the
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21 Oklahoma State Senate and the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of
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22 Representatives no later than January 1, 2022.
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23 I. Except as provided for in subsection J of this section,
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24 beginning with the 2019-2020 2025-2026 school year, evaluations of
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1 schools school districts to determine whether they meet the
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2 accreditation standards set forth in accordance with this section
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3 shall occur once every four (4) years on a schedule adopted by the
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4 State Board of Education. The Board may interrupt the evaluation
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5 schedule provided in this subsection for reasons including a change
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6 in the superintendent of the school district; determination that one
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7 or more school district board members have not met the continuing
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8 education requirements as defined by this title; determination that
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9 the school district falsified information submitted to any public
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10 city, county, state or federal official or agency; initiation of an
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11 investigation by the Board or a law enforcement agency; or other
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12 determination by the Board that standards for accreditation are not
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13 being met by the school district. The schedule adopted by the Board
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14 shall allow for school districts receiving no deficiencies for two
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15 (2) consecutive years to be reviewed for accreditation less than
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16 annually. Provided, however, that schools school districts shall be
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17 evaluated annually for the purposes of:
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18 1. Local, state, and federal funding;
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19 2. Health and safety;
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20 3. Certification requirements for teachers, principals, and
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21 superintendents; and
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22 4. School board governance, including instructional and
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23 continuing education requirements for school board members; and
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24 5. Any other requirements under state or federal law.
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1 J. Beginning with the 2019-2020 2025-2026 school year, if a
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2 public school district receives a deficiency one or more
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3 deficiencies on its accreditation report, the public school district
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4 shall be evaluated annually to determine if it meets the
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5 accreditation standards set forth in accordance with this section.
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6 If the public school district receives no deficiencies for two (2)
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7 consecutive years, the public school district shall be subject to
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8 the evaluation timeline established in subsection I of this section.
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9 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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10 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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11 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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12 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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13 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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