| 1 | 1 | | BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 2 | 2 | | 2025 Page 1 of 7 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 6 | 6 | | H.383 1 |
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| 7 | 7 | | Introduced by Representatives Arsenault of Williston, Christie of Hartford, 2 |
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| 8 | 8 | | and LaLonde of South Burlington 3 |
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| 9 | 9 | | Referred to Committee on 4 |
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| 10 | 10 | | Date: 5 |
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| 11 | 11 | | Subject: Public safety; criminal procedures; voluntary firearms licensing 6 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to establish a 7 |
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| 13 | 13 | | voluntary firearms licensing system in Vermont that permits a person to obtain 8 |
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| 14 | 14 | | a license from the Department of Public Safety to purchase a firearm. A 9 |
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| 15 | 15 | | person who has obtained a license is not subject to the 72-hour waiting period 10 |
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| 16 | 16 | | requirement when purchasing a firearm. 11 |
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| 17 | 17 | | An act relating to a voluntary license to purchase firearms 12 |
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| 18 | 18 | | It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 13 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Sec. 1. 20 V.S.A. chapter 147 is added to read: 14 |
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| 20 | 20 | | CHAPTER 147. LICENSE FOR PURCHASE OF FIREARMS 15 |
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| 21 | 21 | | § 2311. FIREARMS LICENSING AUTHORITY 16 |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Department of Public Safety shall have authority to issue a license for a 17 |
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| 23 | 23 | | person to purchase a firearm. The Department shall issue licenses for persons 18 |
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| 24 | 24 | | to purchase firearms consistent with the requirements of this chapter. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 29 | 29 | | § 2312. APPLICATION PROCEDURE; ISSUANCE 1 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (a) A person may apply to the Department for a license to purchase a 2 |
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| 31 | 31 | | firearm on a form approved by the Department. The application shall include: 3 |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) a full physical description of the applicant; 4 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) full information concerning the applicant’s criminal record and 5 |
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| 34 | 34 | | relevant information concerning the applicant’s mental health history; 6 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (3) a set of the applicant’s fingerprints; 7 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (4) the names and contact information of the applicant’s spouse, 8 |
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| 37 | 37 | | domestic partner, and any other adults who reside in the applicant’s home; and 9 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (5) the names of any minors who reside in the applicant’s home. 10 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (b) The Department shall request from the Vermont Crime Information 11 |
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| 40 | 40 | | Center, and the Center shall provide in response to the request, a copy of a 12 |
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| 41 | 41 | | fingerprint-based Vermont criminal history record, out-of-state criminal 13 |
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| 42 | 42 | | history record, and criminal history record from the Federal Bureau of 14 |
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| 43 | 43 | | Investigation for each license applicant. A request made under this subsection 15 |
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| 44 | 44 | | shall be accompanied by a release signed by the applicant on a form provided 16 |
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| 45 | 45 | | by the Vermont Crime Information Center, a set of the person’s fingerprints, 17 |
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| 46 | 46 | | and a fee established by the Vermont Crime Information Center that shall 18 |
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| 47 | 47 | | reflect the cost of obtaining the record. The fee shall be paid by the applicant. 19 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (c) Within 90 days after an application for a license to purchase a firearm is 20 |
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| 49 | 49 | | filed, the Department shall: 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 51 | 51 | | |
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| 52 | 52 | | |
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| 53 | 53 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) approve the application and issue a license to purchase a firearm; 1 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (2) issue a temporary eligibility certificate, which shall be valid until the 2 |
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| 56 | 56 | | Department approves or denies the application; or 3 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (3) deny the application and notify the applicant in writing of the reason 4 |
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| 58 | 58 | | for the denial. 5 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (d) The Department shall issue a license to purchase a firearm to an 6 |
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| 60 | 60 | | applicant unless it determines that the applicant: 7 |
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| 61 | 61 | | (1) is prohibited from possessing a firearm under 13 V.S.A. § 4017, 8 |
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| 62 | 62 | | 18 U.S.C. § 922, or any other provision of State or federal law; 9 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (2) has not successfully completed a firearms safety training course 10 |
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| 64 | 64 | | approved by the Commissioner; 11 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (3) is the subject of an extreme risk protection order issued pursuant to 12 |
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| 66 | 66 | | 13 V.S.A. § 4053; 13 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (4) is the subject of a final relief from abuse order issued pursuant to 14 |
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| 68 | 68 | | 15 V.S.A. § 1104; 15 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (5) is the subject of a final order against stalking issued pursuant to 16 |
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| 70 | 70 | | 12 V.S.A. § 5133; or 17 |
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| 71 | 71 | | (6) would, if the applicant possessed a firearm, pose a risk of causing 18 |
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| 72 | 72 | | harm to themselves, to another person, or to the public. 19 |
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| 73 | 73 | | (e) A license to purchase a firearm issued under this section shall be signed 20 |
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| 74 | 74 | | by the license holder and shall include: 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 77 | 77 | | |
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| 78 | 78 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 79 | 79 | | (1) an identification number; 1 |
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| 80 | 80 | | (2) the name, address, place and date of birth, height, weight, and eye 2 |
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| 81 | 81 | | color of the license holder; and 3 |
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| 82 | 82 | | (3) a full-face photograph of the license holder. 4 |
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| 83 | 83 | | (f) A license to purchase a firearm issued under this section shall be valid 5 |
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| 84 | 84 | | for two years after the date of issuance and may be renewed pursuant to 6 |
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| 85 | 85 | | section 2313 of this title. 7 |
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| 86 | 86 | | (g) A person holding a license issued under this section shall notify the 8 |
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| 87 | 87 | | Department within two business days of any change in the person’s address. 9 |
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| 88 | 88 | | The notification shall include the person’s old and new address. 10 |
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| 89 | 89 | | § 2313. LICENSE FEE; EXPIRATION AND RENEWA L 11 |
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| 90 | 90 | | (a) The Department shall collect a fee of $35.00 from each applicant for a 12 |
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| 91 | 91 | | license issued pursuant to section 2312 of this title or a renewal of a license 13 |
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| 92 | 92 | | issued pursuant to this section. Fees collected pursuant to this subsection shall 14 |
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| 93 | 93 | | be deposited in the General Fund and appropriated to the Department for 15 |
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| 94 | 94 | | purposes of supporting the firearms licensing program established by this 16 |
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| 95 | 95 | | chapter. 17 |
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| 96 | 96 | | (b) A license issued pursuant to section 2312 of this title or a renewal of a 18 |
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| 97 | 97 | | license issued pursuant to this section shall expire two years after the date of 19 |
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| 98 | 98 | | issuance. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 102 | 102 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 103 | 103 | | (c) The Department shall provide written notice to the license holder at 1 |
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| 104 | 104 | | least 90 days before the license expires. The notice shall include an 2 |
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| 105 | 105 | | application form for renewal of the license. An application for renewal of a 3 |
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| 106 | 106 | | license shall serve as a temporary license, which shall be valid until the 4 |
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| 107 | 107 | | Department approves or denies the renewal application. An application for 5 |
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| 108 | 108 | | renewal of a license shall be subject to the same application and issuance 6 |
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| 109 | 109 | | requirements as an original application for a license under section 2312 of this 7 |
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| 110 | 110 | | title. 8 |
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| 111 | 111 | | § 2314. REVOCATION 9 |
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| 112 | 112 | | (a) The Department shall revoke a license to purchase firearms issued 10 |
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| 113 | 113 | | under subsection 2312(c) of this title upon the occurrence of any event that 11 |
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| 114 | 114 | | would have disqualified the holder from being issued the license under 12 |
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| 115 | 115 | | subsection 2312(d) of this title. The Department shall immediately provide 13 |
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| 116 | 116 | | written notice of the revocation to the license holder. 14 |
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| 117 | 117 | | (b) A license holder who fails to return the holder’s license after receiving 15 |
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| 118 | 118 | | written notice of the license’s revocation from the Department shall be 16 |
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| 119 | 119 | | imprisoned not more 30 days or fined not more than $500.00, or both. 17 |
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| 120 | 120 | | § 2315. DEFINITIONS 18 |
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| 121 | 121 | | As used in this chapter: 19 |
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| 122 | 122 | | (1) “Department” means the Department of Public Safety. 20 |
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| 123 | 123 | | (2) “Firearm” has the same meaning as in 13 V.S.A. 4017(d). 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 125 | 125 | | |
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| 126 | 126 | | |
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| 127 | 127 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 128 | 128 | | (3) “License” means a license to purchase a firearm issued pursuant to 1 |
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| 129 | 129 | | this chapter. 2 |
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| 130 | 130 | | Sec. 2. 13 V.S.A. § 4019a is amended to read: 3 |
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| 131 | 131 | | § 4019a. FIREARMS TRANSFERS; WAITING PERIOD 4 |
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| 132 | 132 | | (a) A person shall not transfer a firearm to another person until 72 hours 5 |
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| 133 | 133 | | after the licensed dealer facilitating the transfer is provided with a unique 6 |
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| 134 | 134 | | identification number for the transfer by the National Instant Criminal 7 |
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| 135 | 135 | | Background Check System (NICS) or seven business days have elapsed since 8 |
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| 136 | 136 | | the dealer contacted NICS to initiate the background check, whichever occurs 9 |
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| 137 | 137 | | first. 10 |
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| 138 | 138 | | (b) A person who transfers a firearm to another person in violation of 11 |
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| 139 | 139 | | subsection (a) of this section shall be imprisoned not more than one year or 12 |
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| 140 | 140 | | fined not more than $500.00, or both. 13 |
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| 141 | 141 | | (c) This section shall not apply to: 14 |
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| 142 | 142 | | (1) a firearm transfer that does not require a background check under 15 |
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| 143 | 143 | | 18 U.S.C. § 922(t) or section 4019 of this title; or 16 |
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| 144 | 144 | | (2) a firearm transfer to a person who has a current license to purchase 17 |
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| 145 | 145 | | firearms issued by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to 20 V.S.A. 18 |
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| 146 | 146 | | chapter 147. 19 |
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| 147 | 147 | | * * * 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.383 |
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| 150 | 150 | | |
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| 151 | 151 | | VT LEG #378592 v.1 |
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| 152 | 152 | | Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 1 |
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| 153 | 153 | | This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 2 |
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