14 bills, two resolutions died in Tuesday deadline

Unlike two weeks ago when the deadline for committee passage killed 246 bills and 10 joint resolutions, Tuesday’s deadline for passage from the house where bills originated left just 14 bills and two resolutions behind.

To get the job done, both the Senate and Assembly worked late into Tuesday evening. Chief Clerk Susan Furlong said the Assembly didn’t adjourn until well after 9 p.m.

In all, the Assembly passed 134 bills Tuesday, the Senate another 53 measures.

Among those killed was Assembly Joint Resolution 10 that would have created a commission to decide how much elected officials from the governor and Supreme Court down to city and county officials should be paid. At present, those decisions for both state and local offices are up to the Legislature.

Opponents had argued the measure was just a way for elected officials to get hefty raises without taking the political heat for it. Backers said it was an attempt to remove politics from the process of setting those salaries.

AB226 would have provided if the only candidates running for a given office are two persons from the same major party, their race would no longer be decided in the primary election by their party members only. Instead, they would face off in the general election when all voters in the district could weigh in.

AB226 was voted out of committee but died on the chief clerk’s desk without receiving a floor vote.

AB360 would have ordered a study of the feasibility to building a high-speed rail system between Las Vegas and Reno. The problem with the bill was the $30 million appropriation to conduct that study. Although it was passed out of the Transportation Committee, it too died on the chief clerk’s desk.

AB217 would have provided for revocation of business licenses of motels where police have reported repeated acts of prostitution. The measure was aimed at those motels that provide basically hourly rentals to customers.

AB433 would have changed current law requiring contract bids for public projects of less than $250,000 go to the lowest bidder. It would instead allow contracts down to $100,000 to be awarded to “the responsive and responsible bidder offering the best value bid.”

Also dead is SB271 that would have directed the state engineer to allow use of domestic wells to serve indoor use, pet and livestock watering even if he orders overall water withdrawals in a groundwater basin curtailed for lack of water.

The next major deadline is May 19 when the bills that have survived thus far must pass out of committee, followed by May 26 when the surviving bills must receive final legislative approval.