Legislative briefs for April 11, 2005

Monday, April 11, 2005 | 8:59 a.m.

Death certificate bill to Assembly

A bill raising the fee by $1 for a certified copy of a death certificate has been approved by the Senate and it on its way to the Assembly.

The vote Friday in the Senate was 19-1 with Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, dissenting. "Government already charges enough to die," he quipped.

Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas said Senate Bill 118 allows the extra dollar to be used for training of coroner investigators. In addition, the bill authorizes the coroner's office to get from pharmacists a list of drugs used by the person in order to help determine the identity and the cause of death.

The present fee is $10.

Overnight parking bill dies in panel

A bill that would have prohibited inhabited motor homes and recreational vehicles from parking overnight in a commercial parking facility has died in the Senate Committee on Government Affairs.

Senate Bill 412 would have required county commissioners to enact ordinances to prohibit these vehicles, with people living in them, from parking overnight in areas that are set aside for customers of a shop or store or other business.

Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, said there was significant opposition to the bill and several cities and counties already have these ordinances. But they do not enforce them.

Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, said this would impact such major events as NASCAR in Las Vegas and the air races in Reno.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said this issue should be left to local governments. There was no attempt Friday to pass the bill out of committee.

Senate approves Segway proposal

Local governments would have the authority to regulate the time and place of use of Segways, the two-wheeled battery powered scooter, under a bill approved by the Senate.

Senate Bill 417 would authorize county commissions and city councils to impose restrictions. The 2003 Legislature made it legal to ride them on the sidewalk by defining them as pedestrians.

But Clark County expressed concerns about allowing people to ride them on the sidewalks of the Strip.

The bill approved 19-1 goes to the Assembly. Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, voted against the bill. A Segway owner, Carlton said she had no objection to the county taking authority over the leasing of these units but she did not want the county to regulate those who own the devices.