Legislative Briefly

Assembly GOP propose Millennium Scholarship changes

A group of nine Republican Assembly members on Wednesday introduced a bill that would toughen access to the Millennium Scholarship.

AB158, authored by Assemblyman Ty Cobb, R-Reno, caps eligibility for the Millennium Scholarship at $100,000. Households making more than that would not be able to get the scholarship for their college-bound teens. It also sets a two year window for the student to apply for the scholarship after high school graduation. The current window is six years.

It would require the regents to set up a scale based on financial need to determine how much each student would receive from the scholarship fund. Finally, it increases the grade point average required to keep the scholarship from 2.75 to 3.0.

The bill also would prohibit school districts from spending more than a third of their total resources each year on administrative expenses.

Bill would require welfare recipients to take jobs offered

A bill that would require welfare recipients to take jobs offered to them was introduced in the Assembly Wednesday.

AB157 says the head of a household would have to accept work offered unless he has good cause for refusing. Failure to take the job offered could result in the loss of benefit.

Assembly looks at added license requirements

The Assembly is considering legislation that would increase the training requirements for teenagers seeking drivers' licenses.

AB153 would require 16- and 17-year-olds to complete an additional six hours of behind-the-wheel training provided "only by a licensed private school for training drivers."

Teens already are required to complete a course provided by a school district or licensed private school as well as 50 hours of supervised driving experience.

Students who would have to travel more than 30 miles for that added training would be exempt from the requirement.

Collection agencies necessary under Assembly proposal

Courts in the state would be required to set up contracts with debt collectors under a bill introduced in the Assembly Wednesday.

AB156 was introduced because of reports that a significant amount of money is lost each year because people ordered to pay traffic and other fines don't do so. Court officials have said they don't have the staff and administrative mechanisms to chase down those who owe money.

AB156 would develop a system that turns those bad debts over to private collectors to run down the debtor.

Reno Council applauds worker groups' concessions

RENO (AP) " Members of the Reno City Council are applauding the efforts of employee unions to help solve the city's immediate budget crisis.

At a meeting Wednesday, officials said tentative agreements that will save $1.2 million through the end of the fiscal year will be acted upon soon.

The cuts involve a mixture of proposals, including giving up a 2.1 percent cost of living salary increase or other benefits.

Labor unions representing police and firefighters presented their proposals to the city. Talks are still under way with other union groups.

Officials say tentative agreements with the unions avoid the need to lay off 36 employees to balance the budget as city revenues continue to drop.