Legislative briefs for April 6, 2001

Friday, April 6, 2001 | 11:17 a.m.

Bill may pave way for counties

County commissioners may soon have the ability to designate a youth shelter for homeless teenagers.

The Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed Assembly Bill 264, which would allow counties to designate such a shelter.

Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, sponsored the bill as "a homeless teenager's right to shelter."

Liability concerns have made "many nonprofits hesitant to provide services," she added.

The bill is now forwarded to the Senate.

Hearing set on bill in LV

A hearing Tuesday morning on a bill that would extend rights of married couples to unmarried couples will feature testimony from supporters and opponents.

The hearing on Assembly Bill 496 will take place before the Assembly Judiciary Committee and begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Sawyer State Office Building

The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman David Parks, D-Las Vegas, would guarantee certain rights to unmarried couples. Hospital visitations would be protected by law, as would property inheritances and medical decisions.

Richard Ziser, chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, the organization that pushed the initiative to ban gay marriage last fall, plans to oppose the bill.

Board members of Equal Rights Nevada are scheduled to attend in support of the bill, as well as representatives from the Nevada ACLU, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Progessive Leadership Alliance.