Cell phone and animal cruelty bills advance

CARSON CITY -- Two bills that have stirred controversy cleared Assembly committees Thursday despite some Republican opposition.

The Assembly Transportation Committee approved Senate Bill 140, which would make it a misdemeanor to text or use a cellphone while driving starting Jan. 1. All five Republicans on the 13-member committee voted no.

And the Assembly Natural Resources Committee backed Senate Bill 223, which would make it a felony, punishable by a year or longer in prison, to willfully torture, maim or kill an animal. Two of the five Republicans voted against the bill.

The votes came a day before the deadline that requires bills that have been approved in one house to win approval from a committee in the other house. The cellphone and animal cruelty bills now face a May 27 deadline to receive approval from the entire Assembly.

Since minor amendments were tacked on both bills, they also must be returned to the state Senate -- the house where they were already approved -- for agreement on those amendments before going to the governor.

Gov. Brian Sandoval does not state whether he will sign or veto bills before they reach his office. Representatives of his Department of Public Safety, however, testified about the hazards of using cellphones and texting while driving.

Violations of the law would result in a $50 fine for the first offense, $100 for the second and $250 for the third. Other bills that survived today's deadline:

■ The Senate Transportation Committee passed Assembly Bill 508, which would require all mo-ped owners to register the bikes and wear helmets while riding. Currently state law on registering mo-peds applies to bikes with engines of 50ccs or larger. State Sen. Elizabeth Halseth, R-Las Vegas, and State Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, were opposed. The motion passed 5-2.

■ Senate Transportation unanimously approved Assembly Bill 277, which would create unique license plates for female veterans, and Assembly Bill 2, which would exempt owners of certain antique and classic vehicles driven less than 5,000 miles annually from emission testing requirements.

Review-Journal reporter Benjamin Spillman contributed to this report. Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.