Legislative briefs for April 10, 2003

Thursday, April 10, 2003 | 9:01 a.m.

Assembly OKs school replacement

The Assembly unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that would allow the Clark County School District to replace 10 old schools using money from the district's capital funds.

Assembly Bill 396 allows the district to use $230 million to replace 10 schools, including Rancho High School and Burkholder Middle School, up until the start of the 2008 school year.

The other schools slated for replacement are all elementary schools. The measure goes to the Senate for consideration.

Oriental medicine reform addressed

An amended measure revising the qualifications of the state Board of Oriental Medicine passed the Assembly 30-12 on Wednesday and now goes to the Senate.

Assembly Bill 21, sponsored by Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, governs the accreditation of Oriental medicine schools and procedures for administering tests for licenses to practice as a doctor of Oriental medicine, which includes acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, led opposition to the amended bill, saying the amendments return the accreditation of the schools and the tests for license seekers to the board, "which has proven to handle the responsibility poorly."

Minimum wage increase supported

An Assembly panel was urged to support a bill increasing Nevada's minimum wage, even though the bill's sponsor proposed removing the increase from the bill for political reasons.

Assembly Bill 356, sponsored by Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, would increase the minimum wage to $6.15 an hour for those 18 and older and $5.38 an hour for those under 18.

But Giunchigliani told the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee on Wednesday she was removing the $1 increases from the bill because the measure comes during the tax debate.

"Maybe this is not the time to request an increase in the minimum wage," Giunchigliani said.

If the minimum wage increase is amended out of AB356, it still contains a provision requiring the Labor Commissioner to increase the minimum wage based on increases in the Consumer Price Index beginning in 2005.

Lincoln County water deal backed

A bill that would legalize an agreement between Lincoln County and Vidler Water Co. to develop water for economic development was approved by the Senate Government Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

The company, the largest private landowner in Nevada, and the county had a contract but former Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said it was invalid.

Senate Bill 487 would clear away the legal questions.

The vote was 6-1, with Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, dissenting.