Clock runs out on many bills, including pay raises

Tuesday, June 5, 2001 | 10:28 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Some bills made it through by the skin of their teeth before the Nevada Legislature adjourned early today, but there were other casualties.

In the final hour, the lawmakers were able to pass all of the major appropriation bills to run state government for the next two years. But a bill to boost the salaries of elected state and county officials missed the deadline.

At 11:57 p.m. Monday, the Senate approved an energy bill that allows mines and large hotels to seek new sources of electricity. The vote was 15-5, and Assembly Bill 661 was rushed to the Assembly, which concurred with the amendment before the midnight deadline.

Both houses, however, ignored the cut-off time of midnight, saying the state Constitution requires final adjournment at midnight Pacific Standard Time. Nevada is now on Daylight Saving Time, so there was an extra hour to spare, they reasoned.

The final amendment added to the energy bill imposed a monthly charge on users to raise money to help low-income families pay their power bills. It will add less than 50 cents a month to the average homeowner in Clark County. It is expected to raise $8 million to $10 million a year.

The money will be added to $3 million from the federal government and $4 million set aside in the state budget to aid those who can't pay their bills due to rising energy costs.

The bill also requires the state Public Utilities Commission to conduct consumer sessions in the north and in the south when considering rate increases.

The last bill approved by the Senate before midnight was Assembly Bill 343, which allows Clark and Washoe counties to start to take over some of the child welfare programs from the state.

Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said the splintered system is broken. Children are spending up to three years in foster care, while the federal standard is 12 months.

Children come into the system run by the counties and then are switched to the state, where they get a different set of foster parents and a different therapist.

"Kids are shifted back and forth because the system is not seamless," Buckley told the Senate Finance Committee, which later sent the bill to the floor.

A ay increase bill for Nevada Supreme Court justices, district judges, state constitutional officers, legislators and county elected officials fell by the wayside. It did not come up for final passage before the clock expired.

It would have raised the salary of Supreme Court justices from $107,000 to $150,000; district judges from $100,000 to $130,000; and legislators from $130 a day for the first 60 days of the session to $175.

The Clark County Commission's pay would have been raised from $54,000 to $68,850; district attorney from $100,800 to $139,104; the sheriff from $84,000 to $115,920; and the clerk, assessor, recorder, treasurer and public administrator from $72,000 to $91,440.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said he would consider putting this bill on the agenda for the special session, which is expected to meet next week.

Another casualty of the session was the construction-defect legislation. There were extensive hearings, but no agreement was reached among builders, subcontractors and trial lawyers on the legislation.

John Vergiels, a lobbyist for the Nevada Subcontractors Association, said an agreement could not be worked out.

Also lost in the final shuffle were the "special projects" bills, in which the Senate and Assembly each had $2 million. They never made it to a final vote because time ran out.

One bill passed after the midnight deadline was the tax revenue shift in Southern Nevada that gives Henderson an extra $4 million to come from all of the governments in Clark County. A conference report on Assembly Bill 653 was adopted by the Senate at 12:55, or 55 minutes after the recognized deadline.

Another bill that was passed after midnight was Assembly Bill 171, which imposes tougher standards for neighborhood casinos in Clark County.