Guinn signs hike for lawmakers’ expenses

Monday, June 20, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Nevada legislators are going to get a retroactive increase in their expense accounts, and come Oct. 1 there will be tougher restrictions on teens getting a driver's license.

Gov. Kenny Guinn on Friday signed 41 bills into law, including one that provides $4 million for design and engineering of a teaching hospital in Clark County and $4 million for restrooms, showers and storage facilities for the homeless in Clark County.

Other bills deal with the state open meeting law and the homestead exemption.

As of Friday, the governor has signed 492 bills from the 2005 regular session of the Legislature.

The governor approved Senate Bill 311 that increases the travel and housing allowance for legislators for a session from $6,800 to $10,000. And this bill is retroactive to take care of lawmakers this past session.

Legislators complained they did not get any special reduced fares on flight to Las Vegas as they have in the past and also that the housing costs in Carson City have increases.

This is in addition to the $91 per diem for the full 120 days. Each lawmaker is allowed $2,800 for telephone expenses. They receive free letterhead paper and envelopes.

They are paid $130 per day for the first 60 days of the session and then the salary is eliminated for the final 60 days. A proposed constitutional amendment will be on the 2006 election ballot to pay the lawmakers for the full session.

Assembly Bill 580 provides for $4 million for the architectural design, engineering and construction of a proposed teaching hospital with an organ transplant center on 61 acres in downtown Las Vegas. There was $1.5 million set aside for the project in 2003 but the money was never used. So that will be added to the $4 million.

The bill also provides $2 million a year for two years for facilities to help the homeless in Clark County. And there is $10 million to provide performance pay for "recruitment, retention and mentoring" of teachers. This money would go to teachers with special skills, high performance or for instructing other teachers.

The governor inked Assembly Bill 52 that raises the age for applying for a driver's license from 15 1/2 to 16. A person 16-17 must hold an instruction permit for six months before getting a license. And those under 18 cannot haul passengers under 18 for three months after receiving their license, unless the passenger is a member of the family.

A teen driver must have 10 hours of nighttime instruction before qualifying for a permit. And they are prohibited from driving from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. unless they are going to or from a scheduled event.

Police may not stop a teen driver solely to determine if he or she violated the curfew or the passenger hauling law. But the officer may cite the motorist for these offenses if the driver is arrested for other violations.

Two bills changing the open meeting law were signed by the governor. Senate Bill 83 requires that a person who is subject of a closed meeting by a government body must be notified, be allowed to attend with an attorney and to present evidence.

Senate Bill 267 permits the individual to waive the closed meeting. It also prohibits a government body from closing a meeting to consider the misconduct or professional competence of another elected official or an individual who serves as a chief executive such as the president of a university or community college or a county or city manager.

The bill also said that a public officer who makes a statement during a public meeting has "absolute privilege" from a defamation suit.

Both open meeting laws go into effect Oct. 1.

Assembly Bill 365 raises the homestead exemption from $200,000 to $350,000. This is the amount of equity that is protected in a home in a bankruptcy proceeding. It becomes effective Oct. 1.

Starting in July, local governments will have the authority to license persons who manage hotels, motels and apartments. And they will be able to require certificates of property managers, under Senate Bill 422.