Legislature ponders new laws

There are 28 new bills being discussed affecting Douglas County residents during the 72nd session of the Nevada Legislature.

Pending legislation ranges from revisions to allow for sheep shearing within town limits to increased penalties for vandalism.

-- AB3 requires paid leave of absence for county employees who donate bone marrow or certain organs for one week and 30 days, respectively.

-- AB5 allows for foster children to be eligible for Medicaid once they have turned 18-years-old, or aged out of the system.

-- AB7 lowers the BAC to .08 for a person operating a vehicle.

-- AB8 would make sexual abuse of a child under 14-years-old a class A felony with a minimum prison sentence of 15 years;

-- AB10 repeals the prohibition against a person refusing to relinquish a party line for an emergency phone call and changes it to read: public telephone; and repeals a prohibition against a person pasturing livestock in a cemetery or shearing sheep within a city or town.

-- AB25 allows a child in the welfare system to continue to receive maintenance and special services if the child is enrolled as a student at a university, college, trade school or technical school if approved by a court.

-- AB26 provides immunity from liability for damages caused by equipment or other personal property donated to a volunteer fire department.

-- AB27 revises maximum amounts of child support from the gross monthly income to 18 percent for one child; for two children to 25 percent; for three children to 29 percent; for four children, to 31 percent; and for each additional child, an additional 2 percent.

-- AB29 adds a $15 administrative fee for court misdemeanor cases.

Legislators meet for 120 days, with the session ending June 2. Each bill must be approved by a committee, then read three times in the House, Senate and Assembly before a vote. A roll-call vote follows. For passage of bills or joint resolutions, 11 votes are needed in the Senate and 22 in the Assembly.

If passed or passed with amendments, the measure is sent to the second house, where the process is repeated.

If both Houses accept the report, the bill goes to the Governor.

The Governor must act on a bill within five days after he receives it if the Legislature is still in session, or 10 days if the session has ended. He may sign the bill into law, allow it to become law without his signature, or veto it. Measures become effective on Oct. 1 following the end of the legislative session, unless otherwise specified in the bill. Legislation can be tracked on the Internet at http://www.leg.state.nv.us