Lawmakers to reconsider marijuana laws

Monday, July 3, 2000 | 11:15 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- While the 2001 Legislature doesn't start for seven months, there are already 242 requests for bills to be drafted, including one to make possession of small amounts of marijuana in some circumstances a lesser crime than a felony.

The Legislative Counsel Bureau released the list today that includes a one-sentence summary of the bills that legislators and others have asked to be prepared.

At the 1999 Legislature, there were 1,458 bills and resolutions introduced, of which 793 were passed. Legislative leaders are planning to reduce the number of bills that can be sponsored in the upcoming Legislature, which starts on Feb. 5, 2001.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-Las Vegas, wants a bill to require payment of a player when a slot machine indicates the winner is supposed to be paid. There was a recent case where jackpot symbols showed on the front of a progressive machine in Reno.

The $1.8 million payment wasn't made to the player because there was a malfunction in the Quartermania machine and the symbols were not in a perfect line.

The Nevada Supreme Court upheld the denial of payment by IGT.

Neal, who is circulating a petition to raise the tax on Nevada's big casinos, is also asking for legislation to stop electric re-structuring in Nevada. The plan to open competition in Nevada has stalled. It could have opened March 1 but Gov. Kenny Guinn delayed the start-up because the industry and the state were not ready.

There is currently a suit in federal court to declare the present re-structuring law unconstitutional.

And there has been criticism that residential customers probably won't realize significant savings under re-structuring.

Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, has asked for a bill to require landlords of mobile home parks to pass along any savings realized from electric re-structuring to tenants of the park.

Assemblywoman Chris Giun-chigliani, D-Las Vegas, wants to defelonize, under certain circumstances, possession of small amounts of marijuana.

This dovetails with a recommendation by a judicial study commission that also wants to lower the penalty from a felony to a misdemeanor for possession of small amounts of the drug.

Assemblyman Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, is renewing his fight against drunk drivers. He wants to lower the level of alcohol from 0.10 to 0.08 in cases where the driver injures another person.

And he wants to increase the penalty for those caught driving while under the influence if they have had a prior felony conviction for the same offense.