Governor signs dozen new measures into law

Tuesday, June 8, 1999 | 11:01 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Flanked by two bottles of Zinfandel on his desk, Gov. Kenny Guinn Monday signed the "Free the Grapes" bill allowing Nevadans to bring in additional wine from outside the state.

Senate Bill 428 was one of 12 bills approved by the governor. Crowding around the governor's desk were Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, who authored the legislation; wine expert Jerry Mead, who writes for national publications, and Pam and Scott Miller, who own the Single Leaf winery in California that supplied the bottles.

Scott Miller was former state museum director in Carson City and Pam Miller was a lobbyist for the construction industry in Nevada before they left to run the winery.

The bill modifies an obscure law that limited Nevadans to bringing in no more than 1 gallon of wine a month from another state. Schneider said hundreds if not thousands of Nevadans may have been committing felonies by exceeding the limit.

The law has never been enforced. Lobbyists for liquor distributors fought repeal of the law and agreed only to opening the door a little.

As passed, a person may bring in 12 cases a year, a couple of bottles more than the one-gallon a month limit. It also allows out-of-state suppliers to ship in 100 cases of wine a year if they have not been designated as an importer in Nevada.

This will permit many of the "boutique wineries" to ship small amounts to their customers in Nevada, Schneider said.

After the ceremony, one bottle of Zinfandel remained with the governor and Schneider took the other. The new law takes effect Oct. 1.

The governor also Monday signed:

Assembly Bill 542, which cracks down on persons convicted of drunken driving a second time within seven years. An individual will have to give up registration to all vehicles for 30 days, in addition to the other punishments.

AB542 protects the state against losing millions of dollars a year in highway construction funds. The federal government had threatened to withhold the money unless the law was passed.

Driving a car with a registration suspended under this law would be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of $1,000.

The owner would still able to sell the car, however, despite the registration being suspended.

Senate Bill 435, which allows the Clark County School Board to expand the duties of its oversight panel for school construction.

The panel would review the district's three-year plan for renovation for school facilities and the five-year plan for construction of new buildings and make recommendations.