Remember: It’s the law

On Sunday, while most of us are trying to figure out how the heck to celebrate the Fourth of July when it falls midweek, numerous state laws will take effect.

The Legislature approved 210 bills with a July 1 start date. They can really churn them out.

And the July 1 bills are fairly evenly split between the houses.

The Legislature did take an initial stab at the transportation funding shortfall and threw a few dollars toward new education programs. But the bulk of the measures taking effect deal in bureaucratic minutiae.

Take for example AB35, which reduces the period during which a license issued by the Board of Hearing Aid Specialists may be renewed without an exam. As of Sunday, hearing aid specialists must renew their license every three years, instead of every five. That ought to really shake things up.

There are also classics -- bills dealing with podiatrists, dispensing opticians, court reporters and, of course, special license plates. There are always special license plates.

Every session lawmakers complain about how much time is wasted hearing appeals to offer new plates. They've even wasted time studying the waste of time. On Sunday, while the Clark County School District looks fruitlessly for 1,000 new teachers, three separate license plate bills will take effect.

One requires anyone seeking to qualify a plate for sale to post a $5,000 bond.

Another deals specifically with the plate that "supports the education of children in the arts." That measure specifies a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the plate will go to VSA arts of Nevada.

Lawmakers also are changing an existing special license plate for professional firefighters to take out a requirement that proceeds from the sale of the plates go to facilities that treat burn victims. The law taking effect Sunday will send the money to the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada Benevolent Association.

We're sure they'll be benevolent with the proceeds.

On Oct. 1, the next date on which a big swath of laws takes effect, there will be three more license plate measures, including a special plate for motorcycles. We wouldn't want our two-wheeled friends to get left out of the craze, would we?

There are also laws taking effect Sunday that wouldn't be necessary if we allowed local governments to have home rule. But since we don't, 63 lawmakers and the governor all had to weigh in on whether the Stagecoach General Improvement District can create a sanitary sewer.

It can. But not until Sunday.

There are two other home-rule gems starting Sunday. Las Vegas is allowed to have a master judge in its Municipal Court. And Carson City will be able to declare its mayor pro tem the temporary mayor if something happens to the real mayor.

I guess the mayor pro tem role is not like vice president or lieutenant governor. But being a breath away begins Sunday in Carson City.

There are some attempted education reforms taking effect Sunday, including changes to high school, English immersion and career and technical education

But in other cases, a breath of fresh air is still pretty stale. Take Assembly Bill 250. This one reduces the required number of emergency drills at private schools from two to one a month. But a private school will have to register for an exemption.

Then there are brilliant laws such as AB267. The measure that takes effect Sunday says the school board in large districts "may cause each meeting of the board to be broadcast on a television station."

Or they may not.

Another of my favorite education measures taking effect Sunday adds a requirement to the physical exams given in public schools to check kids for curved spines. The new measure, AB354, doesn't end the scoliosis checks. Rather, it starts obesity screening by requiring schools to also record the height and weight of some of the kids.

Hmm. In 2009, once we have some data about fat kids, maybe lawmakers will be able to require more physical education or just encourage school boards to promote fitness. How 'bout doing that on TV?

You might be surprised to learn that Gaming Commission and Gaming Control Board workers are now "essential" state employees in the event of a fiscal crisis that threatens to shut down government. You can't keep a good casino down.

We can't keep a bad cop down either. Starting Sunday, under AB298, a police officer who may be accused of planting drugs, beating a suspect to death and shooting the lone witness to his crime will be paid for every day he is suspended until investigators prove he should go to jail.

At least on Oct. 1 there will be only 177 new laws.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at (702) 387-2906 or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com