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April 29, 2005
Legislature kills several bills
By ELIZABETH WHITE Among the bills that won't see further action this session is SB360, which sought to clean up the process for returning voting rights to convicted felons. Sponsored by Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, the bill would have eased the process for those who are honorably discharged from prison and would have allowed those who were dishonorably discharged to apply to regain their civil rights once they pay their outstanding restitution to victims. Horsford said the bill sought to balance the rights of felons with those of the victims while still holding wrongdoers accountable. "The bill would have helped victims potentially collect more than $50 million in outstanding restitution in the last five years alone," he said after the vote. "I am shocked that politics, again, outweigh what's right for helping victims and restoring people's rights." The bill received 10 votes in favor and 10 against, with Sen. Maurice Washington, R-Sparks, absent. A motion to revote on the bill also died. The Assembly, however, kept a bill on the same issue alive and is expected to amend Horsford's defeated measure. AB452, allowing ex-felons who were dishonorably discharged to petition to have their voting rights restored, is sponsored by Assemblyman Harvey Munford, D-Las Vegas. The bill passed on a 40-2 vote. Other dead bills in the 21-member Senate include: • SB308, defeated 7-13, a homeland security bill that would have allowed trained security officers at any business to request information from a law enforcement agency about whether a suspicious person is wanted and whether a suspicious vehicle is wanted or stolen. Horsford, who sits on the committee that considered the bill, called it too broad and said provisions already exist to gather such information. • SB478 didn't get a vote at all. It would have moved the state's primary from the first Tuesday in September to early May. • SB378 also didn't get a vote. The bill would have allowed cities and counties to allow off-road vehicles on certain highways. Some lawmakers objected to a provision that would have allowed those 14 years or older to drive the vehicles on the highways, saying it was unsafe. • SB124, which was defeated on a 10-9 vote with one senator abstaining and another absent, would have added a $25 surcharge to the penalties owed by those found guilty of a traffic violation that caused the need for emergency medical services. The money would have been used by counties to improve EMS and trauma treatment. • SB470, which would have required airports to ensure that lines at boarding gates don't impede pedestrian traffic in the terminals and walkways. That bill never got a vote, either. Only one bill was voted down in the Assembly on Tuesday, but several measures were left to die on the clerk's desk. Among dead Assembly bills: • AJR7, which would have repealed from the Nevada Constitution the limits on the number of years public officials can hold office. The limits were approved by voters in 1996, and don't affect lawmakers until 2012. Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said there was strong support in the Legislature for her constitutional amendment, but several lawmakers and interest groups have decided a court challenge may be a better way of removing the limits. AJR7 was never brought up for a vote. • AB508, would have required notaries public to attend six hours of training for certification. Lawmakers rejected the bill after Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, noted that lawmakers had no idea if the secretary of state had the funds to run such training or how many people it might affect. Still other bills in both houses were re-referred to the Legislature's money committees. While the action appeared to keep them alive, many of the bills will never resurface and the move was seen as a death knell. Associated Press writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report. |
