Legislative briefs for Feb. 19, 2003

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2003 | 9:27 a.m.

Bill brings back insanity defense

The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday introduced a bill to reinstate a plea of innocent by reason of insanity, which the Legislature abolished in 2001.

Assembly Bill 156 was introduced to conform with a Nevada Supreme Court ruling that said there were severe constitutional problems with the "guilty but mentally ill" pleas the Legislature had enacted in 2001.

AB156 permits a defendant to plead not guilty by reason of insanity or to use that defense during trial. If the defendant wins acquittal on that defense, the judge would order the person to go to a mental health facility pending a hearing to determine sanity.

If that hearing determined the person was not mentally ill, he or she would then be released. If mentally ill, the person would be committed to the state's mental health facilities.

The bill would not allow the person to remain in the mental health facility for more than 10 years without another hearing.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, said the bill will allow the Legislature to "reopen the discussion" as to the test for pleading the insanity defense.

City attorneys might do pro bono

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, tipped her hat to her colleagues in the Nevada Bar Association on Tuesday and then introduced a bill that would allow the Las Vegas city attorney and deputies to represent indigent people.

Buckley, an attorney for Clark County Legal Services, heaped praise on members of the bar who conduct pro bono work as she remarked on a Senate resolution marking Tuesday as State Bar of Nevada Day.

Assembly Bill 150 would amend the Las Vegas city charter to clarify that city attorneys and deputies may represent indigent people.

The city's charter prohibits the city attorney and deputies from conducting private practice law.

School smoking limits urged

Assemblyman Bob McCleary, D-North Las Vegas, wants to snuff out smoking in schools and child-care facilities.

Assembly Bill 154, introduced Tuesday, would prohibit smoking on school grounds except in clearly marked and screened-off areas for employees. It would also prohibit smoking in all areas of child-care facilities and would prohibit the use of tobacco vending machines on any school property.

AB154 was sent to the Assembly Judiciary Committee for study.

Ads proposed for DMV offices

Private companies may soon find a captive audience for their advertisements.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, Tuesday introduced Senate Bill 149 authorizing the state Department of Motor Vehicles to enter into contract with companies to display advertisements in the offices.

Citizens often complain about the long waits in line to transact business.

Any money received by the department from the private contracts would be sent to school districts to pay for driver education programs.

Senate approves child protection

The Senate Tuesday unanimously approved a bill to make it a crime for a parent or guardian to leave a child younger than 8 years old in a vehicle unattended under certain conditions.

Senate Bill 17, which goes to the Assembly, says children should not be left unsupervised if a danger exists to health and safety of the youngster or if the motor is left running.

It would not be an offense if the youngster was under the supervision of a person who was at least 14 years old.

The penalty for the offense is a misdemeanor and carries a fine of $300.

Bill would change ethics penalties

The state Ethics Commission would no longer be able to discipline people who submit a false or misleading accusation to the commission on the conduct of a public officer under a bill introduced in the Senate Tuesday.

Senate Bill 147 would repeal a law that gives the commission the authority to impose a civil penalty against a person who submits deceptive information to the commission to get it to render an opinion on the conduct of a public officer.

Ethics Commission Chairman Todd Russell said the issue doesn't come into play anymore. An Ethics Commission panel considers the charges in private. The panel dismisses the allegations if there is no merit, so the complaint never makes it to the full commission.