Assembly Judiciary Committee advances several bills; committee assigns floor statements

Carson City — The Assembly Judiciary Committee on March 12 advanced multiple bills during a morning work session, approving committee amendments and assigning floor statements to members to carry the measures to the Assembly floor.

The committee considered a series of bills sponsored on behalf of state agencies and individual lawmakers. Committee policy analysts summarized each bill and the amendments on the record; members then moved to amend and give the measures a “do pass” recommendation with the amendments. Most motions passed unanimously; two motions recorded named no votes.

Notable actions and amendments included: - Assembly bill on motor-vehicle crash data collection (presented as sponsored by the Office of Traffic Safety): An amendment would remove specific timelines for post-mortem blood-draw reporting, require findings to be reported upon receipt, and broaden required toxicology testing to a list of commonly abused drugs “as determined by the examiner.” Vice Chair Marzola moved the amendment; Assemblymember Gray seconded. The motion passed and the committee assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Cole.

- Assembly Bill 58 (on gaming law revisions, sponsored on behalf of the Nevada Gaming Control Board): An amendment by the board's senior policy counsel proposed deleting a section that revised the term “associated equipment.” Vice Chair Marzola moved the amendment; Assemblymember Nadim seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the committee assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Dahlia.

- Assembly Bill 76 (sponsored on behalf of the Cannabis Compliance Board): The proposed amendment clarified the definition of synthetic cannabinoids, amended confidentiality provisions, reinstated enforcement and disciplinary authority for the board, refined packaging and advertising rules, adjusted product limits, and addressed transportation and public-health hazard procedures. Vice Chair Marzola moved the amendment; Assemblymember Cole seconded. The motion passed with three recorded no votes (Assemblymembers Hardy, Gray and Hansen). The floor statement was assigned to Assemblymember Ordlicker.

- Assembly Bill 119 (sponsored by Assemblymember Yeager, on attorney-general authority to investigate alleged paramilitary activity): Three separate amendments were recorded; one would add Assemblymember Roth as a cosponsor, another (from Mary McCord) would clarify that paramilitary activity requires individuals or groups to be armed with dangerous weapons, and a proposal from the Clark County Public Defender’s Office would prohibit the attorney general from using information obtained via investigative demands in criminal prosecutions (the sponsor did not accept the public defender amendment). Vice Chair Marzola moved the committee amendment; Assemblymember LaRue Hatch seconded. The motion passed with five recorded no votes (Assemblymembers Hardy, Gray, Cole, Urick and Hanson). The floor statement was assigned to Assemblymember Roth.

- Assembly Bill 137 (revising advertising requirements for self-storage lien sales, sponsored by Assemblymember Torres Fawcett): An amendment added Assemblymember Hanson as a cosponsor. Vice Chair Marzola moved the amendment; Assemblymember Hansen seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the committee assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Torres Fawcett.

- Assembly Bill 197 (provisions on confidentiality of nonprofit donor information, sponsored by Assemblymember Backus): The sponsor’s amendment revised definitions, replaced “nonfinancial support” with “in-kind services or goods,” clarified confidentiality exceptions, expanded investigative exceptions and added a cosponsor. Vice Chair Marzola moved the amendment; Assemblymember Gray seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the committee assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Backus.

- Assembly Bill 246 (revising food-related operations in the Nevada Department of Corrections, sponsored by Assemblymember Considine): The amendment would require NDOC to conduct a comprehensive study of food services, establish a vocational farm program “to the extent money is available,” adopt rules allowing independent inspections by a registered dietitian who is not an NDOC employee or affiliated with a contractor, limit contract terms with the current vendor during the study, request multiple cost proposals, and publicly release the study findings. Vice Chair Marzola moved the amendment; Assemblymember Moore seconded. The motion passed unanimously and the committee assigned the floor statement to Assemblymember Considine.

Committee Chair Miller closed the work session after the final motion. No final Assembly-floor votes were taken in this work session; committee floor-statement assignments will determine which member presents each measure on the Assembly floor.

The record lists the committee’s policy analysts presenting each summary and the members who moved and seconded each motion. The committee’s roll call and procedural votes were conducted on the record and are available in the committee minutes.