Legislative briefs for May 18, 2005

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 | 9:46 a.m.

Peeping Tom bill takes step forward

The Assembly Judiciary Committee passed a bill Tuesday that cracks down on people who take explicit photos and try to distribute them.

Senate Bill 28 prohibits people from knowingly taking pictures of individuals' private areas with devices such as camera phones without consent of the other person or in instances where the person would expect privacy, such in a public bathroom.

It also prohibits the transmission of the images.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee did amend the bill to reduce the punishment. The first penalty would now be a gross misdemeanor, drawing up to one year in jail and up to a $2,000 fine. The second penalty would be a class E felony, allowing between one and four years in prison and up to a $5,000 fine. The bill now goes to the Assembly floor.

'Yo-yo' car loan rates tackled in bill

The Assembly unanimously passed a bill Tuesday to protect consumers from car dealers that use the "yo-yo" method to increase interest rates.

Dealers sometimes negotiate an interest rates with customers but call soon after the sale to say the financing fell through and they need more money, said Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas.

Assembly Bill 249 would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to investigate and pursue cases of yo-yo car dealing. The bill also ensures that dealers will better disclose problems with so-called lemon cars that have a history of mechanical problems. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Bill would clarify adoption rights

A measure that clears up birth mothers' rights in open adoptions advanced Tuesday from a committee to its final legislative test in the Nevada Senate.

AB51 brings state law into line with a state Supreme Court decision that says agreements for contact between a mother -- or father -- and the adopted child are enforceable only if the agreement signed by both the natural parent and the adoptive parents is part of an adoption decree.