Legislative briefs for May 5, 2005

Thursday, May 5, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

Referees measure passes Senate

Without dissent, the Senate passed a bill aimed at stopping attacks on referees and umpires at sporting events.

Assembly Bill 474, which returns to the Asembly for agreement on a minor amendment, puts sports officials into a category with police officers, taxicab drivers and doctors in setting out the enhanced penalty if they are attacked.

The bill says anyone who assaults a sports official could be charged with a gross misdemeanor that carries a jail term of up to one year and a $2,000 fine.

Assembly OKs mental health funds

The Assembly voted unanimously Wednesday to give $370,000 to the Clark County triage center for mental health patients.

The state was originally supposed to fund a third of the costs of the triage center, but Clark County and hospitals took up that slack last legislative session when legislators were in a budget crunch, said Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno.

Assembly Bill 40 would immediately kick in funds for the center.

A separate bill before the Assembly Ways and Means Committee would allot more money to keep the triage center running and provide other services to mental health patients.

A bill that would make it a crime

to use or manufacture any illegal drugs in the presence of a child was approved by the Senate 20-1 Wednesday. Assembly Bill 465, which goes back to the Assembly for agreement on an amendment, originally was aimed at keeping children away from methamphetamine labs.