Monday, June 20, 2005 | 10:55 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn on Friday vetoed a bill that would have extended the prevailing wage law to private economic development projects, but he signed 60 other bills.
The governor said he rejected Senate Bill 274, saying a last-minute amendment was placed in the bill without adequate public hearings.
The bill started out restricting the authority of the state fire marshal in larger counties, but an amendment was inserted in the bill on June 5, the next to the last day of the session. The governor said Friday the bill "was changed so substantially during the last minutes of the legislative session that the sponsor of this legislation (Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City) has requested that this measure be vetoed."
The amendment was placed on the bill by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee and approved 41-0 by the Assembly. The Senate then concurred in the amendment by voice vote.
But Guinn said, "Extending the scope of prevailing wage provisions constitutes a significant policy change for Nevada, and that requires significant study and public debate."
He noted that this provision had been defeated twice in other bills during the session. It was rejected in Assembly Bill 552 and in an amendment to Senate Bill 426.
The governor said this "significant change should not be made without first providing developers, local government officials and other affected parties with an opportunity to educate legislators about the potential effects such a change could have on our state's economy."
This was the second bill he vetoed. The other, Assembly Bill 505 would have prohibited taxicab drivers from receiving pay from businesses for delivering passengers to those businesses.
The bills signed by the governor Friday include one that gives Nevada legislators a retroactive increase in their expense accounts, another that enacts tougher driving restrictions for teens, one that provides $4 million dollars for design and engineering of a teaching hospital in Clark County and the allocation of $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 511 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.
Teen drivers must have 10 hours of nighttime instruction to qualify 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 stopped for other alleged 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.
Other bills signed by the governor Friday included:
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