Thursday, April 17, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- The Assembly approved a bill Wednesday that doubles penalties for speeding through construction zones even when workers are not present.
Assembly Bill 444 passed 25-15 after Transportation Committee Chairwoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, rose to defend the measure.
Chowning said the measure -- which also permits the Department of Transportation to install nonflashing blue taillights in its vehicles -- is needed to reduce the number of injuries and deaths from accidents in construction zones.
She also said testimony in committee from the Federal Highway Administration noted that 80 percent of injuries from construction zone accidents occur to motorists.
Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said a flag person should be present in the construction zone before the increased penalties are applied.
Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, said he has held a flag in a construction zone and "had it wiped out."
"I encourage you to support this bill for the safety of the community you live in," Collins said.
The Assembly on Wednesday also approved a bill granting pay raises to district attorneys and sheriffs as nervous lobbyists looked on.
Assembly Bill 23, sponsored by Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, raises the Clark County district attorney's annual salary to $128,272 over the next two years. The position currently pays $100,800 a year.
The Clark County sheriff's annual salary would rise to $109,131 over the next two years. The position pays $84,000 a year now.
Lobbyists for the Nevada Police and Sheriffs Association and the Nevada District Attorneys Association watched from the Assembly gallery, fearing attempts to amend the measure to include pay raises for other county officials.
The lobbyists were afraid that including other county officials would doom the raises for their clients because many lawmakers oppose raising salaries for county commissioners.
That fear could be realized today when the Senate was expected to considers an amendment that would include the other county officials in the Senate bill that is identical to AB23.
AB23 passed 36-3-1.
The lower house on Wednesday also passed:
The bill states that facilities without commercial kitchens can serve "non-hazardous" foods.
Testimony in committee centered on a small day care facility seeking permission to slice up an apple for a child's snack without having to get a health inspection from the county.
Assemblyman Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, was the lone no vote on the measure. He said that as a family doctor he was concerned about the potential for the spread of hepatitis A from someone who changes a diaper and then slices an apple to be consumed by a child without properly washing his or her hands.
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