Legislators scramble to approve bills

CARSON CITY -- Down to their last few days of the 2009 session, Nevada lawmakers rushed Thursday to complete work on still-pending measures.

The Senate unanimously passed a bill to increase the fees for filing court documents. Under Assembly Bill 65, the increased fees would help pay for nine new district judgeships in the Las Vegas area and one new judgeship in the Reno area.

Senators also passed Assembly Bill 92, which tightens qualifications for the state's senior judge program to hold down its costs and avoid a big funding increase.

Chief Justice Jim Hardesty has said he worked with the Public Employees' Retirement System to change judicial retirement benefits to eliminate what would have been a cost of $800,000 over the next two fiscal years.

Senate Finance Committee members unanimously passed Assembly Bill 521, which would expand health care coverage for full-time, salaried firefighters exposed to carcinogens on the job.

The full Senate agreed with Assembly amendments to Senate Bill 94, one of the products of a California-Nevada fire commission's efforts after the June 2007 Angora Fire on Lake Tahoe's south shore.

The measure says Nevada shall adopt rules that are similar to California laws dealing with ways to control fire hazards in wild-land and nearby areas.

Senators also went along with Assembly amendments to Senate Bill 376, which makes changes in laws dealing with the state's prevailing wage requirements.

The Assembly passed Assembly Bill 561, which eliminates the state Consumer Affairs Division for the next two fiscal years. But Assemblyman Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, said the change is temporary. The 2011 Legislature is expected to take another look at the issue.

Assembly members also passed Assembly Bill 18, which requires issuance of up to $100 million in general-obligation bonds for environmental improvement projects at Lake Tahoe. The funds would be used for projects between now and 2020.

The Assembly also passed Assembly Bill 385, which would require that parole and probation officers have a maximum of 70 cases for low-risk offenders. The bill would require periodic reports to legislators about staffing ratios for private prisons.

Also passed in the Assembly was Senate Bill 430, which orders the state to transfer money from the Trust Fund for Public Health and the Fund for a Healthy Nevada to the state's general fund.