Assembly approves 40 bills as deadline approaches

Erin Neff

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Assembly moved toward tonight's midnight deadline for clearing bills by approving more than 40 measures and amending dozens others Monday.

The work began in late morning and moved in fits and starts with numerous recesses -- leaders jockeyed for votes, parties called caucus meetings and bill drafters rushed amendments on yellow paper from the printing room.

At one point, Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, deferred to her Republican counterpart for information on one particular amendment she had initially disagreed about.

"I'll look at it more carefully when I'm not awash in a sea of yellow," Buckley said. None of the bills that came for a vote lost Monday, but several drew a fair amount of opposition.

A measure authorizing collective bargaining for state employees passed 27-15 and a bill that assists in development of the Coyote Springs golf course passed 26-16.

Measures dealing with rights of ex-felons, mobile home parks and control of thrifts drew sizeable opposition en route to passage.

Assembly Bill 337, sponsored by Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, allows for automatic restoration of civil rights for felons who have completed parole or probation. It also limits those who are required to file as felons.

AB337 passed 32-10, with nine Republicans joining Bob McCleary, D-North Las Vegas, in opposition.

Assembly Bill 184, which creates a state board to review rent increases in mobile home parks, passed 24-17, with John Carpenter, R-Elko, abstaining. Genie Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, sponsored AB184 and Assembly Bill 352, a measure revising provisions related to the sale of older mobile home parks. AB352 passed 27-14 with Carpenter abstaining.

Assembly Bill 389, limits who may control thrift companies in Nevada, passed 29-13. Jerry Claborn, D-Las Vegas, sponsored AB389. A measure that reduces the state Board of Regents from 13 to nine members passed 31-11.

Assembly Bill 353, sponsored by Giunchigliani, also requires a student's consent for the university system to release identifiable information and also prohibits disclosure of such information.

In other approvals Monday, the Assembly authorized a change in who can run for sheriff or constable. Assembly Bill 114 requires candidates for those positions to be peace officers and to be at least 21 years old. AB114 passed 38-4.

The Assembly also unanimously approved AB250, a measure allowing Sparks to increase its room tax to pay for tourism promotion.

Other measures passed Monday are:

Assembly Bill 408, sponsored by Josh Griffin, R-Henderson, and Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, which prohibits a government from restricting the display of the American flag. AB408 passed unanimously.

Assembly Bill 324, sponsored by Griffin, increases from one to two years the amount of time a registration covering vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 is valid. AB324 passed unanimously.