Legislative briefs for May 17, 2005

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 | 9:53 a.m.

Senate continues fight against Yucca

Without dissent or discussion, the Senate approved a resolution Monday urging President Bush, Congress and federal agencies to recognize that Yucca Mountain is not suitable for a high-level nuclear waste dump.

Assembly Joint Resolution 4 is similar to resolutions passed in prior years by the Legislature urging the federal government to cancel its plans for Yucca Mountain. The resolution says there is an "abundance of safe, economical dry storage facilities at existing reactors sites" and there is no need to continue building the repository.

Counties enabled to decide sale of liens

The Senate on Monday gave final legislative passage to a bill to enable county commissioners to decide whether to sell property tax liens to private individuals and companies.

Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said Assembly Bill 393 would enable local governments and school districts to collect the unpaid taxes on the liens up front instead of waiting for the property owner to pay. An estimated $10 million in property tax liens were recorded in Clark County last year.

Counties that approve these deals could impose an interest of 10-20 percent that the delinquent taxpayer would have to pay to cure these deficiencies.

The bill was approved 16-5, Clark County Democrats Maggie Carlton, Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Valeria Wiener and Reno Democrat Bernice Mathews opposed. AB393 goes to Gov. Kenny Guinn for his signature.

Bill makes stealing tombs a felony

Stealing gravestones or tombs from cemeteries would be a felony under a bill passed Monday by the Assembly.

Senate Bill 205 stipulates that people could not sell, possess, or offer or attempt to sell tombs, monuments, gravestones or other objects found in cemeteries unless they have permission from the family of the deceased or the owner of the cemetery.

It would also be a felony to destroy the contents of any grave, tomb or crypt.

The felony could yield at least one year in prison and up to $5,000 in fines. The offender also could be ordered to pay restitution for the damage. The bill now goes to Gov. Kenny Guinn for approval.

Money set aside for 2006 transition

When the new governor takes over from Gov. Kenny Guinn after the November 2006 election, there will be $30,000 for the transition cost.

The Senate Finance Committee on Monday approved that amount, up from the $5,000 available when Guinn became governor six years ago. And for the first time there will be transmission money for the constitutional officers switchover. The committee set aside $20,000 to be divided among the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer and attorney general.

The cost includes hiring of some staff, telephone expenses and other items. That will cover expenses from the November election until the new officers take their oath of office in January.

Voting requirement amendment OK'd

A proposed constitutional amendment to lower the number of days a person must live in Nevada to vote 30 days was unanimously approved by the Senate on Monday.

The Constitution now requires a person to be a Nevada resident six months before being permitted to vote and to be a resident in the county for 30 days. Assembly Joint Resolution 10, which must be approved by the 2007 Legislature and then ratified by the voters, makes it uniform that the person must be a resident for 30 days only.