Rick Gunn/Nevada Appeal Greg Suarez journeyman of bindery at the State of Nevada Printing office sends printed Senate bills through the Sig Collater in April 2005.
Official actions in the Nevada Legislature take the form of either a bill or a resolution.
Bills are legislation which adds to, deletes or amends state law and can affect everything from criminal penalties to development law.
Senate bills are labeled SB, Assembly bills AB according to house of origin. They are numbered in order of their introduction.
To become law, a bill must be approved by both houses of the Legislature and signed by the governor. In Nevada, the governor can allow legislation to become law by not signing it for 10 days - the opposite to the U.S. Constitution which interprets the president's failure to sign legislation within 10 days as a veto.
If the governor vetoes a bill, it requires a two-thirds vote of each house to override that veto.
Nearly all other business is handled through resolutions . Everything from commemorating an individual's contributions to society and setting Senate and Assembly operating rules to proposing constitutional amendments for voters to consider are done through resolution.
The three types of resolutions are simple, concurrent and joint.
Simple resolutions, labeled AR or SR followed by their number, are generally used by each house to set its own rules, set its own committee membership and leadership or take another action that is completely within the jurisdiction of that house. Simple resolutions require approval by only the house where they originate.
Concurrent resolutions are designated ACR or SCR followed by their number. They are used for purposes such as urging other governmental entities to take action or make change in an area where the Legislature may not have specific power. They are often used to memorialize a deceased public figure or civic leader. And they are used to amend joint rules of the Legislature.
Concurrent resolutions must be approved by both the Assembly and Senate.
Joint resolutions are labeled AJR or SJR and are the vehicle for proposing changes to the Nevada Constitution or calling for action by the U.S. Congress.
Like concurrent resolutions and bills, joint resolutions must be approved by both the Senate and Assembly.
Unlike bills, resolutions don't require the governor's approval.
On the Net
Nevada Legislature online bill information:
www.leg.state.nv.us/74th/Reports/
For a debate by Nevadans on the bills' merits visit:
www.nevadapolitics.com