Legislative Briefly

Washoe, Clark would no longer publish tax rolls

A bill was introduced in the Nevada Assembly on Thursday that would stop Washoe and Clark counties from having to publish the annual property tax roll.

Existing law requires the complete list of taxpayers and what they owe to be published each year. Counties have complained the costly publication isn't needed because of widespread access to the Internet.

AB307 would prohibit the list from being published in a newspaper. The rules would remain in place for counties with fewer than than 100,000 residents.

AB307 was referred to the Taxation Committee for study.

Bill would return mineral lease money

A group of Senate and Assembly Republicans joined by one Democrat has introduced a bill designed to return mineral lease money to the counties this fiscal year.

The money was swept into the General Fund during the special legislative session forced by the budget crisis. Historically, the first $7 million in lease revenue went to public schools and any money over that was divided 25 percent to K-12 education and 75 percent to the counties where the revenue was generated.

Not only does AB303 end that special legislation immediately, it orders all federal lease revenue go to the counties and education on a 75-25 percent split, deleting the section which sent the first $7 million all to public education.

Sen. John Lee, D-Las Vegas, was the only Democrat to sign on to the bill, which was referred to the Ways and Means Committee for review.

Gibbons signs two bills from Legislature

Gov. Jim Gibbons on Thursday signed two bills recently approved by the 2009 Legislature into law.

AB78 requires the state forester to establish and carry out a program for operating conservation camps.

He also put his signature on AB103 which provides for the audit, inspection, review and survey of certain facilities for children. That legislation was drafted to enable the Legislative Audit Division to monitor the operations of facilities that house juveniles around the state. The issue was raised after a critical federal audit of conditions and at the Nevada Youth Training Center in Elko.

Legislative auditor Paul Townsend assured lawmakers he could manage that task without asking for additional funding.

The only other piece of legislation Gibbons has signed is SB1, the bill that provides funding to operate the 2009 Legislature, on the first day of the session.

Veterans court endorsed

(AP) " A Nevada Assembly panel voted unanimously Thursday for a plan to set up a specialized court for military veterans charged with nonviolent crimes while struggling to readjust to civilian life.

AB187, sent by the Judiciary Committee to the full Assembly, would authorize a specialty court that would handle cases of veterans charged with such crimes and who suffer from mental or substance abuse problems stemming from their military service.

Under the plan, proposed by Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, such veterans could go through a treatment program and, if they complete the program, have their criminal file sealed.

The measure, supported by organizations that help veterans, was modeled after a veterans' court in Buffalo, N.Y. " the first of its sort in the nation. The plan is optional for any jurisdiction that wants to create such a court.