Horne praised, but bill is killed

Erin Neff

Friday, May 16, 2003 | 9:56 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- As expected, a Senate panel killed an eminent domain bill Thursday, but the Republicans did it so softly, their comments sounded like a re-election commercial for the freshman Democrat who brought the bill.

Assembly Bill 397 would have prohibited a penalty against those who reject a government's offer for their property in eminent domain proceedings.

Under current law if a settlement offer is rejected, the government entity may seek payment of attorney's fees from the individual regardless of the outcome of the trial.

Assemblyman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, offered another amendment Thursday morning -- one that would limit the bill to single-family residences -- in an effort to save the bill.

Lawyers for the powerful Jones-Vargas firm had lobbied against the bill.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, congratulated Horne on his "excellent" record before his committee and assured Horne the measure would be revisited in future legislative sessions.

After several more statements to soften the blow of what was to come, Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, declared: "I think you're an excellent freshman, so much so that I will be voting in favor of this bill." Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, told Horne that none of the Senate bills that go down in the Assembly "get this soft a treatment." He also grumbled about one of his bills that the Assembly has not heard at all.

"Maybe we can amend it into this," Titus suggested with a smile.

Amodei then asked Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, who had not spoken, if "you have anything to say about the dearly departed."

The vote to pass the bill out of committee failed 4-3 along party lines with Amodei, McGinness, Nolan and Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, voting against the measure.