Legislative Briefly

Appeals court measure advances

The state Assembly has unanimously approved a proposed intermediate appeals court that would be sandwiched between the Supreme Court and Nevada's district courts. The proposal will go to voters in 2010 for final approval.

Advocates of SJR9 say the appeals court is needed because of the increasing litigation that stems from Nevada's rapid growth.

Nevada is one of just 11 states that don't have an intermediate appellate court requiring the state Supreme Court to resolve all appeals.

Nevada bill would delay layoffs

The Nevada Assembly has advanced a bill that would temporarily delay the legal deadline for notifying school district employees that they will be re-hired or laid off for the next school year.

AB542, now moving to the state Senate, gives the districts two additional weeks to determine how many employees they will be able to retain. Currently, school districts are required to notify school workers of their future employment status by May 1.

Democratic Assembly-

woman Debbie Smith, a former teacher, says, "This is very important to my colleagues in every single school district.

"They are just getting ready to have to notify employees that because they are operating on the governor's recommended budget, they may have to lay off close to 1,000 employees statewide."