Las Vegas Springs license plates measure goes to Guinn

CARSON CITY -- The Assembly on Thursday gave final legislative passage to a bill that will help foot the bill for a desert preserve at Las Vegas Springs just miles away from downtown Las Vegas.

The vote on Senate Bill 204, which goes to Gov. Kenny Guinn for his signature, was 36-6.

Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, said the bill allows the issuance of a special license plates with the added fee going to help in the planning and development of the preserve formerly known as the Big Spring.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District, which owns the land, has set up a foundation to guide the preservation effort. The district will work with the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety in designing the license plate.

The area provides a habitat for rare animal species such as the red-shafted flicker, the mourning dove, the western whiptail and the white-tailed antelope squirrel. Plant life includes the Las Vegas bear poppy, honey mesquite, coyote melon, cheeseweed, winter fat Siberian elm and screwbean mesquite.

The preserve, considered the birthplace of Las Vegas, calls for exhibits demonstrating the conservation and use of water, the history of Southern Nevada and the topography and geology of the site.

The license plate will be produced after more than 250 people make a request to buy one within the next four years. The initial fee will be $35 above the regular registration fee and $25 of that will go to establishing the preserve. The annual renewal will be an extra $20 with $10 being allocated to the project.

Assemblyman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, said he wanted to raise the threshold to 1,000 plates in two years. But he said he couldn't get that amendment on in the Government Affairs Committee which he heads. Supporters of the project predict that thousands of plates will be requested to support this effort.

Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, objected to the proliferation of special license plates. There are more than 50 now, Perkins said, a Henderson police captain.

Many of the plates, he said, have become indistinguishable from other states and that "makes it difficult for law enforcement to do its job," he said.

Voting with Perkins against the bill were Democrats Jan Evans of Sparks and Jerry Claborn, Chris Giunchigliani, David Goldwater and Ellen Koivisto, all of Las Vegas.

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