Legislative briefs for May 19, 2005

Thursday, May 19, 2005 | 8:57 a.m.

Senate OKs fee for importing water

The Senate gave final approval Tuesday to a bill to allow a county to impose a fee on another county importing water from it. Senate Bill 30, as originally proposed, would have permitted the county with the water to levy a $6 per year fee on each acre-foot of water that was flowing into another county effective in July.

The Assembly amended the bill to raise that to $10 per acre-foot starting in January 2007.

The Senate, by voice vote, accepted the Assembly amendment and sent the bill to Gov. Kenny Guinn.

'Willful' violation of ethics laws defined

The Assembly passed a bill Wednesday that would define when officials "willfully" violate ethics laws.

Recent ethics cases have shown confusion over the current law. Officials typically receive more strict punishments for ethics law violations if it can be proven that the official acted willfully.

To avoid a willful violation, Assembly Bill 530 says that public officials must have relied in good faith on the advice of their legal counsel, were unable to obtain an opinion on the issue from the Ethics Commission and took and action that the Ethics Commission had not previously issued an opinion on.

"You have to meet all three criteria so you can't weasel out," said Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, D-Las Vegas.

The bill also requires newly elected public officials to take an ethics training class within the first nine months of taking office so they understand the law and previously issued opinions.

It also allows cities and counties to enact provisions saying former public officers cannot lobby the board they served on for a specified amount of time after leaving office.

Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, and Assemblyman Morse Arberry Jr., D-Las Vegas, both voted against the bill. It now goes to the Senate.

Bill would require disclosing names

A bill requiring the disclosure of names of legislators when they request legislation was approved by the Senate Legislative Operations & Elections Committee on Tuesday.

At present, a legislator can request a bill during the time before sessions and does not have to reveal his name. It becomes public only when he or she introduces the bill at the session.

Assembly Bill 415 goes to the floor of the Senate. Voting against the measure were Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, and Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas.

Raggio opposed the measure, saying a lawmaker may ask that a bill be drafted but then when he receives the final version, may not want to introduce it. He favored keeping the law in its present form.