Lawmakers face deadline

CARSON CITY -- With today's deadline looming, Nevada lawmakers continued voting on bills that would otherwise die because of an end-of-the-week deadline for action on the measures.

The Senate voted unanimously for an Assembly-approved proposal allowing civil lawsuits when victims of childhood sex crimes learn there's pornography depicting the crimes against them.

Assembly Bill 88 would allow for civil lawsuits and fines up to $150,000. The measure was sought by Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.

Senate amendments to the bill must be approved by the Assembly before the bill goes to Gov. Jim Gibbons. As amended, AB88 enables such victims to sue in civil court for money damages independent of any criminal prosecution against perpetrators.

The Senate unanimously passed Assembly Bill 492, requiring firms that get tax abatements to verify they created jobs and benefits for Nevadans.

The Assembly passed Senate Bill 415, which sets base rates for public employee retirement benefits and also determines the share of costs for insurance premiums paid by state and local governments. The bill now goes to Gibbons.

The Assembly also passed Assembly Bill 60 which would require state or local health authorities to determine whether a building previously used to manufacture methamphetamine is safe for habitation.

Also advanced by the Assembly was Senate Bill 227, which requires that personal data that is transmitted electronically be encrypted to prevent identity theft.

The Senate advanced a bill to create a funding stabilization account for K-12 education. Assembly Bill 458 would decrease abatements offered by redevelopment agencies, economic development zones and the state Economic Development Commission and redirect that money to education.

The Senate unanimously passed Assembly Bill 165, a plan to revamp the state's "rainy day" fund and ensure that more money is set aside in the event of future fiscal crises.

The Senate unanimously passed Assembly Bill 446, to require state agencies to establish "benchmarks" to measure their success and efficiency over time, and publish their results on a Web site. The indicators also would include the state's ranking in relation to other states.

The Nevada Senate unanimously passed Assembly Bill 530, suspending funding to Nevada's K-12 school remediation trust fund. Lawmakers said the change had to be made as part of many budget cuts mandated by the state's recession-spawned revenue shortfall.

The off-road-vehicle registration bill, approved on a 34-6 Assembly vote, requires owners of ORVs to register their rigs with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. SB394 now returns to the Senate for review of Assembly amendments.

While the measure has widespread support from numerous groups, Gibbons plans to veto it. Jodi Stephens, his legislative director, said the plan includes new registration fees, and the governor won't support such fees.

SB394 would mandate that ORVs, such as all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, dune buggies and all-terrain motorcycles, be registered at an annual cost of $20 to $30. A titling fee would run about $28.

Nearly $7 million could be generated over the next two years from the registration, titling and other fees for about 227,000 off-highway vehicles, according to DMV figures.

The Assembly also passed SB94, one of the products of a California-Nevada fire commission's efforts over a 10-month period following the June 2007 Angora fire. The measure includes wording that says Nevada shall adopt rules that are similar to California laws dealing with ways to control fire hazards in wildland and adjacent areas.

Also passed by the Assembly, on a 23-18 vote, was AB82, a proposal from the secretary of state's office that makes numerous changes in Nevada election laws.

Changes in the measure include an increase in penalties, from gross misdemeanors to felonies, for offenses such as intimidating voters and intefering in the conduct of an election.