Nevada lawmakers start their sixth week of the 2009 session today with a hearing by the full Senate on a tax increase of up to 3 percent on hotel rooms in the Las Vegas and Reno areas to help deal with Nevada's widening budget crisis.
The increased rate could yield about $233 million in new general fund revenue, almost all of it from the Las Vegas area, in the coming two fiscal years. Starting in July 2011, the funds would designated for K-12 education.
The proposal, already approved by the state Assembly, was backed by Las Vegas- and Reno-area voters and also by Gov. Jim Gibbons as a result of that public support. Last October, major Nevada casinos and a teachers union delivered more than 130,000 signatures supporting the plan.
Senate Finance reviews SB14, which adds $5 to the $20 fee included in a marriage license fee that goes into an account that helps victims of domestic violence; and SB150, which creates a special "stabilization" account for state funds that support Nevada's K-12 school system.
Also today, Assembly Commerce and Labor considers AB162, requiring health insurers to cover screening and treatment of children for autism; and AB167, requiring health insurers to cover acupuncture treatments.
On Tuesday, a joint Senate-Assembly budget panel reviews the nearly $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money that the state expects; and a joint Assembly-Senate transportation panel takes additional testimony on just over $200 million of the stimulus dollars that can be used for road projects.
Senate Legislative Operations and Elections considers two bills that move the date of Nevada's mid-August primary elections in opposite directions. SB120 would return the date to the first Tuesday in September; while SB162 would move the date up to early June.
Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation plans a vote on a bill to prohibit drivers from text messaging on cell phones. SB136 doesn't ban reading a telephone number or contact entry on a cell phone if making or receiving a call.
On Wednesday, Senate Commerce and Labor plans another in a series of hearings on workplace safety and worker compensation laws; and Assembly Judiciary, a joint Senate-Assembly budget panel and Assembly Health and Human Services will review several programs and proposals to help elderly Nevadans.
Also Wednesday, Senate Health and Education reviews SB135, requiring some public school students to wear uniforms; and SB165, a measure to prevent cyber-bullying in public schools. Assembly Transportation reviews AB145, requiring school districts to grant the use of athletic fields to nonprofit organizations with youth sports programs.
On Thursday, Gibbons' proposed cuts in human service programs will be discussed by a joint Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee. The review will cover the governor's proposed cap on Nevada Check-Up, which provides health care to low-income children " and which currently has a waiting list of more than 4,000 children.
Assembly Corrections, Parole and Probation takes up AB34, which would allow some state prison inmates " who lost the use of personal typewriters starting in 2007 " limited access to the Internet. All the e-mail traffic could be monitored by prison staffers.
Also Thursday, Senate Energy, Infrastructure and Transportation will discuss solar energy systems; and Assembly Elections, Procedures, Ethics and Constitutional Amendments discusses AJR1, proposing changes to statewide initiatives and referenda.
On Friday, Assembly Judiciary considers AB234, which would expand the pool of people required to submit to genetic testing if they are linked to a crime. Under the plan, DNA would be collected from anyone arrested for a felony. If the person ultimately isn't convicted, the collected data would be expunged.
Also, joint Senate-Assembly budget panels will continue their reviews of Nevada's prisons and its state university-college system.
For some lawmakers, the week won't end on Friday. Town hall meetings are scheduled in Las Vegas and Reno to get comments on the governor's proposed budget. The sessions will be chaired by the heads of the Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees.