Assembly moves last 15 bills before Monday deadline

Kiley Russell

Tuesday, April 20, 1999 | 9:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY - On deadline, the Nevada Assembly gave final approval to 15 bills dealing with subjects ranging from a Truckee River water fights battle to suspending registration of cars owned by drunken drivers.

But one high-profile bill, to ease Nevada's harsh marijuana penalties, wasn't voted on at all during the rush to meet the midnight Monday deadline.

Instead, Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani's bill was sent to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee because of a last-minute amendment giving Washoe and Clark County courts thousands of dollars for drug treatment programs.

Because the bill will now cost the state money to implement - about $25,000 - it's exempt from the deadline to get bills out of their house of origin by midnight Monday.

Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said the general fund allocations were to give the courts "some startup costs" in dealing with her bill, which reduces possession of less than an ounce of marijuana from a felony to a misdemeanor.

First-time offenders could be fined $500 but would face no jail time. Currently the penalty is punishable by up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. A second offense could result in a $1,000 fine and referral to a drug court or drug rehabilitation program.

The measures winning final approval and moving to the Senate included AB380, which attempts to resolve a long-standing Truckee River water battle between Fallon farmers, Paiute Indians at Pyramid Lake and Reno interests.

Under the plan, a multimillion-dollar fund will be set up to help the Paiutes buy up Fallon-area water rights.

Another bill winning unanimous Assembly approval would allow courts to suspend the registration of any vehicles owned by drunken drivers.

AB542 is a response to similar federal rules that the state must codify into law or risk losing more than $2 million in highway money.

Lawmakers were worried that the rules would unfairly penalize family members who relied on the offender's vehicles for transportation. To address those concerns, the bill was amended and now allows judges discretion in "hardship cases" where a family has no other means of transportation.