Legislative briefs for February 25, 2005

Friday, Feb. 25, 2005 | 11:15 a.m.

DMV surcharge repeal is OK'd

A bill to repeal the $1.50 fee for renewing a driver's license by mail was approved Thursday by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security.

Ginny Lewis, director of the state Department of Motor Vehicles, told the committee it is the only surcharge on renewals. The agency would lose about $100,000 a year in revenue and that would be replenished from the highway fund.

Senate Bill 87 goes to the floor of the Senate for final passage.

Anti-double-dipping measure introduced

A government worker would be required to take an unpaid leave of absence to serve in the Legislature under a bill introduced by Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, Thursday.

Senate Bill 129 would stop some legislators from drawing two salaries during a session of the Legislature. There was criticism last year about Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, and former Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, receiving some pay from their government jobs.

Titus said she has always taken an unpaid leave of absence from her teaching duties at UNLV during the session.

Noting the public debate about "double-dipping" after the last legisltive session, Titus said her bill "is in response to the public that feels you should do one job at a time and collect one public check at a time. Anybody who is a public employee this will apply to whether you are a teacher or a firefighter, police officer or county administrator."

The bill was referred to the Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections.

Bill targets district hopping

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, wants to stop fly-by-night political candidates from hopping from one district to another in each election.

Senate Bill 125, introduced Thursday by Schneider, would require a candidate to be a resident of the area he wishes to represent for at least one year.

Schneider said in every election candidates move into a district and they don't know the residents or their concerns. Schneider had one challenger in the last election who was tossed off the ballot because he didn't even meet a 30-day residency requirement.

Under existing law including various city charters, the minimum period a candidate must have been a resident before running for public office varies. But in many cases, it is only 30 days. SB125 would require the candidate to be a resident for at least one year prior to the last day for filing for political office.

The measure goes to the Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections.

Business license fee exemption sought

bill to expand the exemption of certain small businesses from the annual $100 state license fee has been sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas.

A business now is only exempt from the tax if it is operated from and it earns not more than 66 2/3 percent of the previous year's average annual wage.

Senate Bill 127, referred to the Senate Committee on Taxation, would allow the exemption to every business, not just those operated from homes that earn up to 66 2/3 percent of the average annual wage.

Titus said this would exempt such groups as rodeo associations and homeowner associations.

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