Home defect, malpractice bills die as deadline looms

A construction defect bill sought by Nevada's powerful but struggling construction industry and a measure to loosen caps on medical malpractice awards have died in key legislative committees.

The measures were among dozens of proposals not expected to survive today's deadline for Assembly-approved bills to be advanced by Senate panels and Senate-endorsed measures to be advanced by Assembly committees.

SB349, the construction defects measure, had been in the Assembly Judiciary Committee since its mid-approval approval in the Senate. Asked Thursday whether SB349 was dead, Assembly Judiciary Chairman Bernie Anderson, D-Sparks, said it was, adding, "There are a lot of flaws in there, but nobody wanted to work on it."

AB495, the measure easing malpractice award caps, had been in Senate Judiciary since its approval in the Assembly on April 20. Senate Judiciary Chairman Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, confirmed Thursday that the bill was dead, but added there was no connection to the Assembly Judiciary's shelving of the construction defects plan.

Other bills shelved as of Thursday include:

- SJR2, a plan to end Nevada's current system of electing judges and replace it with a variation of the so-called Missouri plan system of appointing jurists. The plan had been approved by the 2007 Legislature, and had to be endorsed by lawmakers again this session in order to go to a public vote in 2010.

- AB293, to give lawmakers the power to block appointments by Nevada governors to high-ranking positions in several agencies. A rejected appointee for one post couldn't have been named to any of the other positions on the list for a year.

- SB290, to let patients in care facilities or their families or guardians install surveillance devices in the patients' rooms.