Legislative briefs for March 8, 2001

Thursday, March 8, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

A resolution urging the U.S. State Department to approve establishment of a Mexican Consulate in Las Vegas was introduced Wednesday by the Senate Legislative Affairs and Operations Committee.

Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, said a consulate in Clark County would help residents who are doing business with Mexico and citizens who visit Las Vegas. And the supporting groups hope to have the consulate open by the end of the year.

Nevada's Hispanic population has soared by 144 percent since 1990, and there are 300,000 visitors from Mexico to Las Vegas a year, according to Porter.

The State Department must approve the start-up of a consulate, with the cost covered by the Mexican government. The closest Mexican consulate is in San Bernardino, Calif., but Porter said the Las Vegas Valley is one of the top five areas of Hispanic population in the country.

"A consulate is very beneficial for trade and tourism in the area and will be able to assist our residents with the services that are needed in doing business with Mexico and citizens that wish to visit the country," Porter said.

List of lobbyists climbs dramatically

A new publication shows there are 649 lobbyists registered at the Nevada Legislature -- or 10 times the number of lawmakers.

The Legislative Counsel Bureau released the registration figures Wednesday showing 464 paid lobbyists and 185 who are not paid. They represent 734 organizations. The largest number of registered lobbyists is 22, for the Nevada State Education Association, the schoolteachers' union. Next was Washoe County, with 14.

Even though each group has a number of lobbyists, they are not all present during the entire session. Many come and go, testifying only when a certain issue comes up.

Southern Nevada governments are well represented. There are 11 lobbyists for Clark County, 10 for Las Vegas and eight each for Henderson and North Las Vegas. The Southern Nevada Builders Association has 12 registered lobbyists, the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association has 11 and the Nevada Resort Association 10.