Legislative briefs for April 27, 2001

Friday, April 27, 2001 | 9:38 a.m.

Electoral College changes rejected

The Senate voted without comment Thursday for a gutted election-reform bill, following a failed effort by Senate Democrats to revive Electoral College changes rejected by Republicans.

Senate Bill 565 originally would have split Nevada's Electoral College votes among presidential candidates based in part on popular vote results.

Nevada currently uses a winner-take-all system for its four Electoral College votes, as do most states.

Secretary of State Dean Heller proposed changing the system to give the winner of the popular vote in each of Nevada's congressional districts one Electoral College vote. The two at-large electors would go to the overall statewide winner.

But the Senate Government Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, voted 4-3 on April 16 to reject Heller's proposal. The vote followed party lines, with minority Democrats backing Republican Heller's plan and the panel's majority GOP members opposing it.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus tried unsuccessfully on Wednesday to revive the Electoral College changes, saying there's nothing in the U.S. Constitution mandating a winner-take-all system, and states have the option of deciding how the presidential votes will be allocated.

Serial meetings are threatened

The state's open-meeting law got a boost Thursday from Assembly lawmakers who unanimously passed a measure outlawing so-called "serial meetings."

Assembly Bill 225, sponsored by Vivian Freeman, D-Reno, prohibits governmental bodies from conducting several meetings without a quorum in an attempt to gain consensus on an issue.

Such serial meetings conducted by the Reno City Council led to the bill.

Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said the measure is important "at a time when citizens are more and more skeptical of government."

Although the bill has unanimous support in the Assembly, it may be headed for an uncertain future in the Senate, thanks to concerns raised in a letter to the Sun from Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa.

Del Papa argues that enlarging the scope of the open-meeting law's jurisdiction would cost her office between $176,000 and $183,000 annually.

In the past five months, she said, her office has filed two District Court actions related to the law.

Crash information might be required

A measure approved Thursday by the Assembly would give consumers more information about whether a used vehicle they are purchasing had been severely damaged.

Assembly Bill 207, sponsored by Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, requires disclosure if a vehicle was involved in a natural disaster or crash, incurring damage that amounts to 20 percent of its total value.

"We've had a rash of cars that were in flooding in Carolina and in hurricanes in Hawaii," Buckley said.

Sellers of vehicles who know or "should have known" such information about a vehicle's history must disclose it.

Senate approves repeal of 1987 law

The Senate voted Thursday to repeal a 1987 law requiring hospitals to accept a small percentage of indigent patients.

The present law says a hospital must provide without charge at care for indigent patients amounting to at least 0.6 percent of its net revenue.

Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, said hospitals are now competing for indigents whose bills may be paid by Medicaid or by the county. Senate Bill 302 would permit the reimbursement of the hospitals which would not be required to take a percentage of the indigents.

Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, objected to SB302, saying it "does a disservice to the poor who need hospital care.

Exemption hike passes Senate

The Senate Thursday voted to increase exemptions for veterans to apply to their property or motor vehicle taxes.

Senate Bill 156 would increase the exemption from $1,000 to $2,000 in assessed valuation.

The increase would be phased in. For fiscal year 2001-02, the exemption would rise to $1,250; $1,500 in 2002-20034; $1,750 in 2003-2004 and $2000 after that. After that the exemption would rise at the cost of living index.

SB156, which was approved 20-1, would also increase the tax exemption for disabled veterans, based on their disability.

Drivers might have to pull over

A bill that would force slow-poke drivers to move over to the side of the road if they are impeding traffic was approved Thursday by the Senate 18-4.

A motorist driving below the posted speed limit on a two-lane highway would have to pull over at a designated turnout if more than five vehicles are backed up behind him. A motorist who failed to follow the law could be charged with a misdemeanor, under Senate Bill 396, which now goes to the Assembly.