Editorial: Legislature’s hits, misses

Wednesday, June 8, 2005 | 9:07 a.m.

Once again the Legislature overstepped its 120-day time limit. It needed a 12-hour special session to wrap up its business. In the end, however, all that will matter is the soundness of the decisions that were made in passing or not passing hundreds of bills. Here are some bills that were passed or rejected either in the final hours of the regular session or during the special session. Were they hits, or misses? Here is how we see them:

The rebate -- a miss. A healthy state budget surplus moved Gov. Kenny Guinn, before the legislative session began, to pledge a rebate to taxpayers. He threatened to veto any budget that didn't return $300 million. Much valuable time was wasted trying to decide upon an impossibility -- an equitable way to rebate the money. Legislators agreed on a plan that gives between $75 and $275 to those who had registered automobiles last year and to people aged 65 or older as of Jan. 1. The state is embarrassingly lacking when it comes to providing quality services, such as education and public safety. That's where the $300 million should have gone.

Child safety in cars -- a hit. On Monday Guinn signed into law Senate Bill 287, which makes it a misdemeanor to leave a child 7 or younger unsupervised in a vehicle if the weather or other factors risk the child's safety. The bill requires someone 12 or older to be with the child. The bill also gives a judge the authority to suspend the charge if the adult responsible for leaving the child in the car takes a court-approved parenting course. We like the educational component of this bill. Too many parents believe there is no harm in leaving a small child alone in a car, a factor that leads to too many tragedies.

Millennium scholarships -- a miss. Legislators waited until the final hours of the special session to reach a compromise preserving this program, which provides graduates of Nevada high schools a scholarship to any state school of higher education. The compromise means students will receive funds for only 12 credit hours a semester, when many students take 15 or more so they can graduate within four years. It also tightens eligibility requirements to save money. In short, it puts the program's wobbly financial future on the backs of students. This is a program that should have benefited from some of the state's surplus, so that future students would be receiving benefits equal to what other students have received since Guinn started the program five years ago.

Neighborhood casinos -- a hit. This rancorous issue was a hit only in the sense that Assembly Democrats hit it with a knock-out punch on Monday. The Senate amended an otherwise innocuous bill for the purpose of making it much more difficult for citizens to protest against hotel-casinos being built in their neighborhoods. The amendments also gave competitive advantages to the larger neighborhood casino companies. This was an awful bill that was rightfully stopped cold.

Mental health funding -- a hit. Several bills improving mental health services were passed during this session. Altogether, spending rises from $336.6 million two years ago to $516.6 million over the next two fiscal years, a 40.5 percent increase. An increase of this magnitude was sorely needed to compensate for past years of financial neglect. The increase will especially help here in Southern Nevada. Clark County Manager Thom Reilly last summer declared the area to be in a mental health crisis due to a lack of beds to meet a rapidly growing demand. One mental health bill passed Sunday includes nearly $9 million for providing more beds in Southern Nevada.

Golf course tax breaks -- a miss. In its waning moments the Legislature declared golf courses to be "open spaces" worthy of a generous tax break. In our view, Desert Wetlands Park in southeast Las Vegas, the meadows seen on the way to Kyle Canyon and the scenic strolling areas of Floyd Lamb State Park are examples of open spaces. If legislators think golf courses are open spaces, let them try picnicking, bird watching or tossing a Frisbee disc around on one of them. Let them try telling the manager that the course is open space, adaptable for such activities. They'd get a lesson about open space in a hurry.