President Mejia submitted another 143 sale contracts of state-owned lands, while the Senate hurriedly approved 34 deals to do with public property and 37 more pensions. The properties referred to are mainly apartments in government-sponsored projects and land-title sales. Mejia sent Senate head Jesus Vasquez 11 official requests that contained the outlines for the 143 projected sales. Only one of the documents, No. 7777 which is dated 30 July, requested 83 sales contracts for the sale of state-owned lands, and No. 7617 held 21 more requests. Something that got the senators? attention, and which they sent to a special commission, was a request contained in document No. 7610, which sought the cession and transfer of three portions of land owned by the State Sugar Council (CEA) as part of an ?exchange.? The first portion belongs to the Haina River sugar mill and consists of 289,231.98 square meters (about 77 acres, or 29 hectares) located in Quita Sueno, San Cristobal and valued at close to RD$29 million. The second section of land to be exchanged is lies on the property of the Ozama sugar mill and consists of 656,000 square meters (about 65 hectares, or 174 acres) in the province of Santo Domingo, with a value of RD$11,200,000. The third parcel is located in Boca Chica and contains more than 50,000 square meters of land with a value of RD$8,750,498.75. The Senate also sent a request to cede 247,000 square meters from sugar share-crop farmers for accumulated debts from the 1992-93, 1994-95 and 1995-96 harvests. The Senate still has more than 5,000 contracts for the cession of state-owned lands pending final decision. Vasquez announced that the Upper House would have to approve the pending contracts in blocks of 1,000 at a time.