Light, serious measures among unusual proposals facing Legislature

Siobhan McDonough

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001 | 10:04 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Nevada legislators will deal with lots of weighty proposals during the 2001 session, but there's lighter fare on the agenda, too.

Lawmakers will deal with the dirt of designating an official state soil and wrap themselves in plans for a state tartan, among other not-so-routine proposals.

"This isn't my typical kind of bill. It seems a little frivolous," Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said of her proposal for an official state tartan streaked with blue, silver, red, white and yellow.

"But, we have a state bug and state flower."

"There's a pretty big population of Nevadans with Scottish lineage, especially in southern Nevada. Everybody's got a little Irish or Scottish in them," said Titus, whose grandmother was Scottish.

Assemblyman John Marvel, R-Battle Mountain, is pushing the official state dirt proposal. He says it should be the high-nutrient soil found in the Orovada area within his rural district.

"We've got a state rock and reptile - the tortoise - which I voted against," said Marvel, a rancher. "It was ruining the soil."

"A bunch of youngsters in my county thought it was important to have an official soil and I do, too," he said.

Senior citizens influenced another bill draft. Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, introduced a bill to ensure bingo games at churches or senior centers don't require special gambling permits.

"Seniors aren't allowed to conduct bingo unless they get a gaming permit. There's no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to hold bingo in their housing groups or with their church groups," Neal said.

Among the other more than 1,000 bill draft requests waiting for legislators when they convene Monday, is one to make "Silver State Fanfare" the official Nevada march.

That draft was requested by an unidentified legislator. Other lawmakers who didn't want their names disclosed asked for plans to deregulate interior designers and to issue special license plates showing support for animal rights.

"Usually someone requests anonymously if it's contentious. It keeps people off of them until the session begins," Marvel explained.

One measure legislators will sink their teeth into is a proposal to replace chips, cupcakes and candy bars in school vending machines with apples, cottage cheese and carrots.

"A lunch of coke and chips isn't ideal for school kids," said Assemblywoman Marcia de Braga, D-Fallon, who's on the Education Committee that will review the bill.

But de Braga said she's undecided about supporting the plan to ban junk food from school vending machines.

"I think it's good to have choices," she said. "We can't cure everything or control everything even if it is for their own good."

Another food bill would appropriate funds for a center offering hands-on training and five-star techniques in cooking, waiting tables, room service and managing - not your everyday educational program, unless you're in a state where tourism rules.

"We want to upgrade service in Nevada. The casino, hotel and culinary industries are the lifeline of the state," said Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas. "When someone wants a filet that's pink in the middle, we want these people to be able to make just that. They'll learn to do this sort of thing at the center."

Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, a waitress in a major Las Vegas casino cafe, thinks the culinary center is a good idea.

"There aren't just coffee houses, steakhouses and Italian restaurants in Nevada anymore," she said. "We really need to branch out."

Another tourist-related measure, from Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, would allow visitors with concealed weapon permits from other states carry their firearms into Nevada. If here for more than three days, they'd have to notify local authorities.

"Crooks carry guns anyway. They don't care about the laws," said Assembly Minority Floor Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, who backs Washington's plan - which died during the 1999 session.

"Honest citizens who carry guns have permits, FBI background checks," Hettrick added. "It's not an inner-shaking thing. People think this bill applies to criminals. It does not."

A proposal that might seem pointless to some would restrict the use of laser pointers. Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, says there is "potential for misusing them."

"Police officers have felt threatened. They've found kids playing around with them. Another concern is the potential of blinding someone temporarily, distracting them while driving," said Anderson, chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Whether the measures are serious or merely unusual, they'll all run into time obstacles as lawmakers push to meet a requirement that they adjourn in 120 days.

"That'll probably be a criticism," Titus said when asked whether some bills deserve much priority given the session limits.

"People aren't going to take a lot of time on this sort of thing. It's not going to dip into the time for real problems."