Legislative briefs for March 7, 2003

Friday, March 7, 2003 | 9:29 a.m.

Guinn bills would move funds

Gov. Kenny Guinn submitted several bills to the Assembly on Thursday to move money into the state's general fund and pay some big bills.

Assembly Bill 252 transfers $100 million from the Fund to Stabilize the Operation of Government, or the rainy-day fund.

Assembly Bill 253 allows for a supplemental appropriation of $71,750,340 to the Distributive School Account in the general fund for payment of an unanticipated shortfall in the local school support tax.

Assembly Bill 254 is a supplemental appropriation of $667,590 to the Department of Motor Vehicles for an unanticipated shortfall resulting from the upgrade in a toll-free phone system.

Anti-terrorism bill introduced

CARSON CITY -- Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins on Thursday introduced a sweeping anti-terrorism measure that increases penalties for acts of terrorism and requires resort hotels to adopt emergency response plans.

Perkins, D-Henderson, is a deputy police chief in Henderson and served on a national task force examining homeland security.

Assembly Bill 250 increases penalties for felonies committed in relation to terrorism, makes murders by terrorists automatically first-degree murders and adds an aggravating factor in capital cases related to terrorism.

The measure also allows for the forfeiture of materials used in terrorist acts and removes the statute of limitations on lawsuits stemming from any terror act.

The bill also requires resorts to adopt emergency response plans and share them with appropriate emergency response agencies.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, has introduced a major anti-terrorism measure and Assemblyman David Brown, R-Henderson, has sponsored a measure to create an aggravating factor for acts of terrorism.

Homelessness panel proposed

Assemblyman David Parks, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill Thursday that would create an Advisory Committee on Homelessness.

The committee would have one state senator, one state assemblyman, a variety of state health and welfare representatives, two members designated by the Clark County Commission, one by the Washoe County Commission, three who provide charitable work for the homeless and one person who used to be homeless.

Assembly Bill 259 includes $20,000 for the committee's operation.

Crime Statistics center proposed

UNLV would get a Center for the Analysis of Crime Statistics, under a measure introduced Thursday by Assemblyman John Oceguera, D-North Las Vegas.

Assembly Bill 246 calls for the creation of the center within the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Department of Criminal Justice.

The measure was referred concurrently to the Judiciary and Ways and Means committees. A hearing is scheduled in Judiciary on March 13.