Nevada Legislature: Panel passes controversial bill allowing hearsay in court

A Nevada panel has approved a bill allowing some hearsay evidence in the early stages of sensitive court cases.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to approve AB193 on a 4-2 vote on Monday with Democrats opposing.

The bill would allow a victim’s statement to police, rather than their firsthand testimony, to be presented in a preliminary hearing or in secret grand jury proceedings for child sex abuse or domestic violence cases. Those hearings determine whether there’s enough evidence for a case to proceed.

Supporters said preliminary hearings can be adversarial and the bill would spare children the trauma of testifying.

Senate Minority Floor Leader Aaron Ford said he wanted to amend in more provisions vetting hearsay accounts before supporting the measure.

The bill passed the Assembly in a 34-8 vote.