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| 5 | 5 | | 2023 -- H 6170 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC002558 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- POSTSECONDARY TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR |
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| 16 | 16 | | SHORTAGE TEACHING FIELDS |
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| 17 | 17 | | Introduced By: Representatives Giraldo, Alzate, Potter, Voas, Morales, Cruz, and |
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| 18 | 18 | | O'Brien |
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| 19 | 19 | | Date Introduced: March 17, 2023 |
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| 20 | 20 | | Referred To: House Finance |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | |
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| 23 | 23 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 24 | 24 | | SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by 1 |
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| 25 | 25 | | adding thereto the following chapter: 2 |
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| 26 | 26 | | CHAPTER 112 3 |
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| 27 | 27 | | POSTSECONDARY TUITION ASSISTANCE FOR SHORTAGE TEACHING FIELDS 4 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 16-112-1. Creation. 5 |
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| 29 | 29 | | There is hereby established within the office of the postsecondary commissioner (“OPC”) 6 |
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| 30 | 30 | | a restricted receipt account entitled the Shortage Teaching Fields Tuition Assistance Fund (“the 7 |
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| 31 | 31 | | fund”). The fund shall be used to provide payment from the state to an eligible individua l’s 8 |
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| 32 | 32 | | institution of higher education toward a portion of their tuition and other costs of attending said 9 |
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| 33 | 33 | | institution under this chapter. 10 |
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| 34 | 34 | | 16-112-2. Definitions. 11 |
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| 35 | 35 | | For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following 12 |
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| 36 | 36 | | meanings: 13 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (1) "Costs of attending" means expenses other than tuition, room, board, and mandatory 14 |
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| 38 | 38 | | fees that are necessary to the successful completion of a degree program at a Rhode Island 15 |
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| 39 | 39 | | postsecondary institution. Such expenses shall be paid for in accordance with rules and regulations 16 |
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| 40 | 40 | | promulgated by OPC, and may include, but are not limited to, transportation, child care, and course-17 |
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| 41 | 41 | | related books and materials. 18 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC002558 - Page 2 of 5 |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) "OPC" means the office of the postsecondary commissioner. 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) "Service requirement" means specific employment and work obligations that 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | individuals shall meet if they receive tuition assistance under this chapter. 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (4) "Shortage teaching fields" means subject areas or teacher certifications that are 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | experiencing a critical lack of educators in the State of Rhode Island. These shall include, but are 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | not limited to: 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | (i) Any sciences for grades seven (7) through twelve (12); and 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | (ii) Any mathematics for grades seven (7) through twelve (12). 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (5) "Tuition assistance recipients" means individuals receiving assistance toward their 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | tuition and other costs of attending a postsecondary institution under this chapter. 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | 16-112-3. Eligibility of individuals. 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (a) In general, tuition assistance recipients under this chapter shall: 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (1) Be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, at a Rhode Island postsecondary institution in 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | a program to become a teacher in a shortage field; 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) Complete the service requirement set forth in § 16-112-4; and 15 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (3) Fulfill any other conditions required by OPC. 16 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (b) Tuition assistance recipients under this chapter shall not be required to: 17 |
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| 62 | 62 | | (1) Provide a score from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or Advanced Placement 18 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (AP) test as a condition of admission to the teaching degree program of any postsecondary 19 |
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| 64 | 64 | | institution in Rhode Island; or 20 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (2) Be a resident of Rhode Island. 21 |
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| 66 | 66 | | (c) If an individual receives tuition assistance under this chapter, and then leaves their 22 |
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| 67 | 67 | | institution’s program to become a teacher in a shortage field prior to completing their degree, the 23 |
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| 68 | 68 | | tuition assistance provided to date shall become a loan to be repaid by the individual. 24 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (d) If an individual receives tuition assistance under this chapter, and then does not 25 |
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| 70 | 70 | | complete the service requirement provided in § 16-112-4, the tuition assistance provided to date 26 |
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| 71 | 71 | | shall become a loan to be repaid by the individual. 27 |
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| 72 | 72 | | (e) Transferring from one postsecondary institution in Rhode Island to a different 28 |
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| 73 | 73 | | postsecondary institution in Rhode Island shall not negatively affect an individual’s eligibility for 29 |
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| 74 | 74 | | tuition assistance under this chapter; provided that, they remain in compliance with all other 30 |
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| 75 | 75 | | eligibility requirements. 31 |
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| 76 | 76 | | 16-112-4. Service requirements to receive tuition assistance. 32 |
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| 77 | 77 | | To receive tuition assistance under this chapter, individuals shall complete at least three (3) 33 |
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| 78 | 78 | | years of full-time teaching in a shortage teaching field at any elementary or secondary school in the 34 |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | |
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| 81 | 81 | | LC002558 - Page 3 of 5 |
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| 82 | 82 | | state. 1 |
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| 83 | 83 | | 16-112-5. Disbursement. 2 |
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| 84 | 84 | | All funds distributed in accordance with this chapter shall be: 3 |
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| 85 | 85 | | (1) Allocated toward the tuition, room, board, mandatory fees, and additional costs of 4 |
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| 86 | 86 | | attending a Rhode Island postsecondary institution to become a teacher in a shortage field; 5 |
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| 87 | 87 | | (2) Provided to cover tuition, room, board, mandatory fees, and/or costs of attending a 6 |
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| 88 | 88 | | Rhode Island postsecondary institution that remain after all other financial aid funds have been 7 |
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| 89 | 89 | | awarded to the tuition assistance recipient; and 8 |
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| 90 | 90 | | (3) Available for individuals to attend any Rhode Island postsecondary institution, public 9 |
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| 91 | 91 | | or private; provided that, funds disbursed to a private institution for tuition, room, board, and 10 |
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| 92 | 92 | | mandatory fees shall be limited to the amount that Rhode Island college charges for the same 11 |
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| 93 | 93 | | expenses in the same academic year. Additional costs of attending a private institution shall be paid 12 |
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| 94 | 94 | | for in accordance with regulations promulgated by OPC. 13 |
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| 95 | 95 | | 16-112-6. Administration of shortage teaching field tuition assistance fund. 14 |
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| 96 | 96 | | OPC shall administer the fund and OPC shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary 15 |
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| 97 | 97 | | to implement this chapter, which shall include, but are not limited to: 16 |
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| 98 | 98 | | (1) The process for defining any shortage teaching fields in addition to the ones provided 17 |
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| 99 | 99 | | in § 16-112-2, and updating said definition at least once every other year; 18 |
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| 100 | 100 | | (2) Providing an easy-to-follow guide in a variety of languages regarding how to apply for 19 |
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| 101 | 101 | | tuition assistance under this chapter; 20 |
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| 102 | 102 | | (3) How to fulfill the service requirement, including the length of time afforded to 21 |
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| 103 | 103 | | individuals to complete it and consideration for leaves of absence related to the health of the 22 |
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| 104 | 104 | | individual or a close family member, pregnancy, and military service; and 23 |
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| 105 | 105 | | (4) Defining the nature and extent of costs of attending a postsecondary institution, 24 |
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| 106 | 106 | | identified in § 16-112-2, that individuals may receive assistance for under this chapter. 25 |
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| 107 | 107 | | 16-112-7. Reporting 26 |
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| 108 | 108 | | (a) By August 1, 2024, and annually by August 1 thereafter, OPC shall provide an 27 |
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| 109 | 109 | | evaluation of the fund to the speaker of the house, senate president, and the governor. The 28 |
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| 110 | 110 | | evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, the following: 29 |
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| 111 | 111 | | (1) The number of individuals whose request for tuition assistance under this chapter was 30 |
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| 112 | 112 | | approved; 31 |
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| 113 | 113 | | (2) The actual dollar amount paid for tuition assistance in the previous year; 32 |
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| 114 | 114 | | (3) The shortage teaching area for which individuals received tuition assistance; and 33 |
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| 115 | 115 | | (4) The name of the postsecondary institution(s) the individual attended. 34 |
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| 116 | 116 | | |
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| 117 | 117 | | |
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| 118 | 118 | | LC002558 - Page 4 of 5 |
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| 119 | 119 | | (b) Reporting required under this section shall take extreme care to maintain the privacy of 1 |
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| 120 | 120 | | the individuals requesting and/or receiving tuition assistance under this chapter. 2 |
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| 121 | 121 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 3 |
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| 122 | 122 | | ======== |
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| 123 | 123 | | LC002558 |
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| 124 | 124 | | ======== |
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| 125 | 125 | | |
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| 126 | 126 | | |
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| 127 | 127 | | LC002558 - Page 5 of 5 |
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| 128 | 128 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 129 | 129 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 130 | 130 | | OF |
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| 131 | 131 | | A N A C T |
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| 132 | 132 | | RELATING TO EDUCATION -- POSTSECONDARY TUITIO N ASSISTANCE FOR |
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| 133 | 133 | | SHORTAGE TEACHING FIELDS |
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| 134 | 134 | | *** |
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| 135 | 135 | | This act would create postsecondary tuition assistance for shortage teaching fields which 1 |
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| 136 | 136 | | are defined as subject areas or teacher certifications that are experiencing a critical lack of educators 2 |
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| 137 | 137 | | in the state such as any sciences grades seven (7) through twelve (12) and any mathematics grades 3 |
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| 138 | 138 | | seven (7) through twelve (12). Recipients of tuition assistance would have to be enrolled, or 4 |
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| 139 | 139 | | accepted for enrollment at a Rhode Island postsecondary institution in a program to become a 5 |
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| 140 | 140 | | teacher in a shortage field and complete at least three (3) years of full-time teaching in a shortage 6 |
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| 141 | 141 | | teaching field in this state. 7 |
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| 142 | 142 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 8 |
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| 143 | 143 | | ======== |
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| 144 | 144 | | LC002558 |
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| 145 | 145 | | ======== |
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