Senators plan to discuss raising hotel room tax

CARSON CITY -- Lawmakers start their sixth week of the 2009 session on Monday with a state Senate hearing on a tax increase of up to 3 percent on hotel rooms in the Las Vegas and Reno areas to help deal with Nevada's budget crisis.

The increased rate could yield about $233 million in new general fund revenue, almost all of it from the Las Vegas area, in the coming two fiscal years. Starting in July 2011, the funds would be designated for kindergarten through 12th-grade education.

The proposal, approved by the Assembly, was backed by Las Vegas and Reno-area voters and by Gov. Jim Gibbons as a result of that public support. In October, Nevada casinos and a teachers union delivered more than 130,000 signatures supporting the plan.

Also on Monday, the Senate Finance Committee will review Senate Bill 14, which would add $5 to the $20 marriage license fee that goes into an account that helps victims of domestic violence. The panel also will look at Senate Bill 150, which would create a special "stabilization" account for funds that support Nevada's K-12 school system.

The Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee will consider Assembly Bill 162, requiring health insurers to cover screening and treatment of children for autism, and Assembly Bill 167, requiring health insurers to cover acupuncture treatments.

On Tuesday, a joint Senate-Assembly budget panel will review the nearly $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money the state expects. An Assembly-Senate transportation panel will take additional testimony on just over $200 million that can be used for road projects.

The Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee will consider two bills that would move the date of Nevada's mid-August primary elections in opposite directions. Senate Bill 120 would return the date to the first Tuesday in September, while Senate Bill 162 would move the date to early June.

The Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee plans to vote on a bill to prohibit drivers from text messaging on cell phones. Senate Bill 136 wouldn't ban reading a telephone number or contact entry on a cell phone.

On Wednesday, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee plans another hearing on workplace safety and workers compensation laws. The Assembly Judiciary Committee, a joint Senate-Assembly budget panel and the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee will review programs and proposals to help elderly Nevadans.

Also Wednesday, the Senate Health and Education Committee will review Senate Bill 135, requiring some public school students to wear uniforms. It also will review Senate Bill 165, a measure to prevent cyber-bullying in public schools.

The Assembly Transportation Committee will review Assembly Bill 145, requiring school districts to grant the use of athletic fields to nonprofit organizations with youth sports programs.

On Thursday, Gibbons' proposed cuts in human service programs will be discussed by a joint Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee. The review will cover the governor's proposed cap on Nevada Check-Up, which provides health care to low-income children, and which has a waiting list of more than 4,000 children.

The Assembly Corrections, Parole and Probation Committee will take up Assembly Bill 34, which would allow some state prison inmates limited access to the Internet. All the e-mail traffic could be monitored by prison staffers.

Also Thursday, the Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation Committee will discuss solar energy systems. The Assembly Elections, Procedures, Ethics and Constitutional Amendments Committee will discuss Assembly Joint Resolution 1, proposing changes to statewide initiatives and referenda.

On Friday, the Assembly Judiciary Committee will consider Assembly Bill 234, which would expand the pool of people required to submit to genetic testing if they are linked to a crime. Under the plan, DNA would be collected from anyone arrested for a felony. If the person ultimately isn't convicted, the collected data would be expunged.

For some lawmakers, the week won't end on Friday. Town hall meetings are scheduled in Las Vegas and Reno to get comments on the governor's proposed budget. The sessions will be chaired by the heads of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees.