Senate clears 64 bills in marathon floor session

The Nevada Senate held a marathon floor session Friday, voting on 64 measures to clear the decks for next week's deadline to get all bills out of their house of origin.

The slate of bills that cleared the chamber included proposals that sailed through unopposed, such as SB15, which allows the DMV to pull a driver's license for DUI offenses, and SB77, which penalizes minors for sending sexual images of themselves or other minors.

Other measures passed with degrees of contention. SB144, which would require garages check and correct tire pressure for vehicles that come in for repair passed without comment on a 12-9 vote. Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, joined with Democrats in its passage.

Hardy, a physician, also sided with Democrats in the 12-9 vote on SB230, a bill that bans trans fats from Nevada public schools. Trans fats raise levels of harmful cholesterol and decrease levels of healthy cholesterol. They are common in processed snack foods, fried foods and baked goods.

SB318 drew opposition from Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas. The bill sets flammability standards for seating and engine compartments of schools buses beginning in 2014. Cegavske said she considered the measure an unfunded mandate that would add a financial burden to school districts. Senate Minority Leader Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, also voted against the bill, which passed 19-2.

Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, provided comic relief in explaining SB248. Lee wore a bicycle helmet while urging his colleagues to pass the measure that sets rules for vehicles when passing bicycles on a roadway. It passed unanimously.

The Senate also passed SB251, creating a "Sunset Commission" to evaluate government services and programs and recommend those that are duplicative or can be eliminated.

SB495 is an alternative to an initiative that will appear on the 2012 ballot to fund a Las Vegas arena with a special taxing district. The bill seeks to prohibit different sales tax rates within the same county. If passed by the Legislature, SB495 also will appear on next year's general election ballot.

Several approved bills deal with renewable energy. SB182 eases metering requirement on installed solar energy devices; SB281 establishes an electric vehicle demonstration program; and SB488 requires the Public Utilities Commission to include in reports plans for supporting renewable energy and transmission facilities.

The Senate also gave final legislative approval to AB144, called the "Nevada Jobs First" bill. It gives bidding priority on state and local public works projects to Nevada businesses the employ at least 50 percent of Nevada workers. It also requires 25 percent of materials used on a project to be purchased in state, and that all payroll records be maintained in Nevada.