Wednesday, May 26, 1999 | 11:59 a.m.
The amendment to AB631 would cut back each legislator from 10 bill draft requests to eight. It would also make significant reductions in the number of bill drafts allowed outside agencies including individual cities and counties, the attorney general and even the governor's office.
That would mean significant cuts in the number of bills state agencies can request each session.
"We cut back everybody, " said Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas.
"I do not feel the legislators, the elected representatives of the people, should be cut back to only eight measures," said Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-Las Vegas.
Assemblyman John Carpenter, R-Elko, added he was concerned that lawmakers like himself with large districts covering several counties are at a disadvantage because of the number of different communities and issues they must represent.
Assemblywoman Kathy Von Tobel, R-Clark County, said the bill also does nothing for districts like hers with a large area and 45,000 voters. She said a small urban district with just 9,000 voters would get just as many bill drafts.
Giunchigliani, who heads the Elections, Procedures and Ethics Committee, was backed by Assistant majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, and Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington, in pushing for lower limits.
Giunchigliani said there were more than 1,600 bills introduced this session and that, with the 120 day constitutional limit, that's too many to give proper hearings.
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