Restrictions on teen work crews OK’d

Tuesday, April 24, 2001 | 10:17 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- In the wake of the deaths of six teenagers picking up trash along Interstate 15 in March 2000, the Assembly Monday approved protection for children in similar situations.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said Assembly Bill 27 came to him from one of the parents of a boy who was killed.

Perkins said the bill would require local governments who use the work crews to notify parents of where the children would be assigned.

A van driven by Jessica Williams veered off I-15 into the median and struck the teens. Williams was convicted of six counts of driving under the influence of a prohibited substance and sentenced to 18 to 48 years in prison.

Perkins originally sought to keep teens who get into minor trouble from working off their penalties on the cleanup crews, but he said some rural counties were concerned about stopping the programs.

AB27, which goes to the Senate, bans teens from working in the median, they must be shielded by a truck with an amber light on the roof and warning signs must be posted at least 100 yards in front of the work crews. The members must wear reflective vests and orange hats.

On freeway work the crews must be positioned behind a guard rail.

The vote on the bill was 38-0.