Lawmakers hit big deadline as 12th week of session starts

CARSON CITY - Nevada lawmakers start their 12th week by jamming through dozens of bills that must move from one house to the other by by late Monday or die.

To help meet the deadline, the Assembly held its first Saturday floor meeting this session, approving nearly 50 bills.

The Senate skipped a weekend meeting, and as a result its Monday file includes at least 70 bills that must be shipped over to the Assembly before midnight if they're to stay alive.

Those measures deal with such major subjects as ethics in government, utility restructuring, mental health and health insurance, high-tech crime, room taxes and construction defects, among others.

While the Assembly load for Monday looks lighter, the lower house could get mired in debate over some controversial proposals.

Big bills up for votes in the Assembly include one to resolve court battles that have been going on for years over water from the Truckee River.

Also up for a vote is a California-style marijuana possession law with mild penalties compared with the harsh punishments now imposed in Nevada.

The penalty for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana would drop from a felony to a misdemeanor. First-time offenders could be fined $500 but would face no jail time. Currently the penalty is up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

In addition to the floor sessions, there also are a lot of committee hearings Monday. They include meetings scheduled by Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means to consider bills on subjects ranging from pregnancy counseling and student discipline to digital signatures, gambling tokens and computerized state financial management systems.

Assembly Government Affairs takes up proposals to give peace officer status to criminal investigators employed by the secretary of state; and to create six election wards in Las Vegas.

Senate Natural Resources plans to talk about killer bees and nurseries; and Senate Government Affairs will discuss internal accounting and administrative procedures for state agencies.

Scheduled meetings Tuesday include budget subcommittees on human resources and general government, plus a Ways and Means hearing on a bill dealing with mortgage companies.

Senate Judiciary considers several Assembly bills dealing with juvenile delinquents; and Assembly and Senate Transportation committees will review bills on vehicle seatbelts, passengers riding in the back of pickups, and drunken driving penalties.

Meetings Wednesday include more budget hearings, an Assembly Health and Human Services discussion of a hospice measure, and a Senate Natural Resources session on a batch of boating bills.

Senate Government Affairs will review proposals dealing with Nevada election laws and lobbyist reporting requirements. The lobbyist bill would result in less public detail what lobbyists spend in wining and dining lawmakers.

Meetings Thursday include more Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means hearings on various bills with fiscal impacts, including class-size reduction, a school voucher measure and a plan calling for annual audits of certain school districts and a performance audit for Nevada's state university system.

Assembly Judiciary considers measures on child support and protective custody of children when parents die; and Assembly Government Affairs considers a bill that will change Nevada Day from Oct. 31 to the last Friday in October - creating a new three-day weekend.

Meetings Friday include more budget subcommittees, plus a Senate Human Resources and Facilities hearing on a bill to set up a system for tracking birth defects.

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