Play taps for these pieces of legislation

By J. Patrick Coolican, Cy Ryan

Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 2 a.m.

CARSON CITY — The deadline to push legislation out of the Assembly passed Tuesday, which left fatigued legislators with a satisfyingly slow day Wednesday.

A good time, then, to take stock of some of the more eccentric and arcane legislative proposals that died on the Assembly side this week.

So now, your favorite legislation that didn’t quite make it.

First up, the beleaguered mule deer. Assembly Bill 241 would have required that at least 40 percent of the money in the Wildlife Heritage Trust Account be spent on predators of the mule deer. The mule deer is a favorite of some hunters, including Gov. Jim Gibbons, so they want to protect it so as to be able to kill it. Alas, the mule deer must fend for itself.

Assembly Bill 34 would have allowed prisoners to use computers and the Internet under certain circumstances, including to use a law library or visit a friend or relative via teleconference. Surely nothing could have gone wrong there.

Assembly Bill 70 would have made English the official language of Nevada. With all the bad speaking and writing, perhaps the irony was a little too rich.

Assembly Bill 138 would have required that any railroad or monorail have at least two people aboard who are qualified operators. With the expected train wreck coming at the end of the legislative session, perhaps legislators should have moved this forward.

Assembly Bill 150 would have more closely regulated tanning salons. Clearly, Big Tanning got to someone.

Assembly Bill 171 would have allowed fish pedicures, wherein you put your foot in a tub and small fish eat the dead skin. The Cosmetology Board, incredibly, says it’s not sanitary.

Finally, Assembly Bill 299 would have established special license plates commemorating the Second Amendment. Apparently a gun rack no longer serves the purpose.

Tomorrow: Dead Senate legislation.

•••

State agencies turn over about $7 million in uncollected debt to the state controller each year. But only 4 percent of debts over $25,000 and 11 percent of those under $25,000 are collected by the controller, according to figures presented to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Assistant Controller Mark Taylor said one reason for the low collection rate is state agencies wait too long to begin collection efforts. The longer they take, the less likely the state will collect because people move and businesses close, he said.

On average, debt in the controller’s office is more than a year old.

The controller’s office is trying to change things.

The Assembly passed a bill Tuesday, AB87, to require agencies to turn over their debts to the controller and do it within 60 days unless exempted by law. Currently not all agencies turn over their debts to the controller.

The bill would also permit the controller’s office to hire a private debt collector to file legal action against those who owe the state money or negotiate a settlement of the debt.

Under state law, the controller’s office can refuse to pay a bill to a person or company who owes money to a state agency.

Sun reporter David McGrath Schwartz contributed to this story.