Familiar issues part of busy fifth week in Nevada Legislature

CARSON CITY — It is going to be déjà vu all over again when the Legislature begins Week 5 on Monday, with new hearings scheduled on a DMV-based voter registration petition and the Equal Rights Amendment.

Both measures — Initiative Petition 1, which would make it easier for people to register to vote when they visit a DMV office, and Senate Joint Resolution 2, which would ratify the decades-old ERA — have been heard and passed in one house of the Legislature.

Bills expanding the use of police body cameras, requiring contraceptive coverage and reviewing the Department of Taxation’s recreational marijuana tax collection process are all on deck, as well.

MONDAY

The busy week starts with a joint Assembly and Senate budget subcommittee taking a closer look at the budgets for the Department of Corrections. Gov. Brian Sandoval is looking at ways to reduce its inmate population, which could see capacity exceeded by 700 inmates by the end of the next budget without prompt action.

One element of the plan would use $12 million to temporarily house some Nevada inmates out-of-state until the prison population is stabilized.

Expanding the use of body cameras will be taken up by the Senate Government Affairs Committee. Senate Bill 176 would mandate the use of cameras for law enforcement officers who interact with the public.

The Assembly and Senate Health and Human Services panels will hear contraception bills. The Assembly committee will hear Assembly Bill 249, which would mandate coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices for all health plans. The Senate panel will hear a similar measure, Senate Bill 233.

The Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee will take up the Automatic Voter Registration Initiative. It would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to transmit information to the secretary of state’s office to register people who obtain, renew or change an address on a driver’s license or identification card.

TUESDAY

A joint budget subcommittee will review Department of Education budgets, including the Achievement School District program. Several bills have been introduced by Democratic lawmakers to repeal the program that would see some under-performing schools put under the control of a charter school authority.

Later in the day, the Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Committee will take up the Equal Rights Amendment in SJR2. The resolution passed the Senate last week on a 13-8 vote.

The effort comes decades after efforts to pass the ERA in Nevada failed. Some argue that the vote is symbolic only. Nevada would be the 36th state to approve the amendment to the U.S. Constitution if it wins final approval.

WEDNESDAY

Lawmakers will take a deep dive into the attorney general’s budget. Democratic lawmakers are looking forward to hearing about the budget directly from Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who has sent staff to prior agency reviews this session.

A joint session at 5 p.m. Wednesday will hear a report from the Nevada Supreme Court on the state of the judiciary.

THURSDAY

A Senate and Assembly money subcommittee will hear details on how the Department of Taxation will implement recreational marijuana tax collection and regulation.

Dozens of other issues will be addressed by lawmakers during the course of the week.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow @seanw801 on Twitter.