Las Vegas NowDead Bill Day at the Nevada Legislature

Dead Bill Day at the Nevada Legislature

With so many bills coming and going, Friday is another major hurdle for bills -- the so called dead bill day. If a bill doesn't pass its committee by midnight, it's likely dead for the entire session.

Democrats have used their majorities in both houses to get ironclad votes on many issues. But a number of bills have been too controversial to get the nod.

Here's a look at what is dead: SB369, the $5 prostitution tax. It did not pass committee this week. Critics said it legitimized legal and illegal prostitution in a way few lawmakers were ready to handle.

Also, SB356, a reckless driving bill, will likely die. It would force convicted bad drivers to pay an extra $100 fine. That one has little chance to coming back.

Also on the chopping block is AB383, a bill that would let Laughlin incorporate and become its own city. Right now, the Clark County Commission controls all major decisions down on the river.

SB359, a proposal for a Las Vegas and Henderson light rail project doesn't have much support.

There are also a number of bills making the cut this week: AB495 will lift the cap on medical malpractice cases. Many patients from the hepatitis C outbreak wanted the option to get more money in damages. That bill moves forward after a very close vote.

AB233 will tighten up rules for scrap metal buyers and sellers. It cleared the Assembly Friday, hoping to crack down on copper thieves.

Lawmakers have a week and a half to get these bills passed in the first house. Just because something passed its committee doesn't mean it's going to run the distance. It's still a long way to go until June.

Here's a summary of measures that didn't win approval in various  legislative committees by a Friday deadline for action by those panels:

AB275, to give Nevada bankers a tax break by reducing the payroll tax rate they pay to the level paid by other businesses.

AB157, to spend $73 million to start full-day kindergarten in all 340 elementary schools in Nevada in the 2008-09 school year.

AB435, to limit the use of mechanical voting systems and provide for paper ballots in elections.

AB300, to repeal Nevada's law requiring motorcyclists to wear protective headgear.

AB524, a bill for toll road demonstration project in southern Nevada, sought by the state Department of Transportation.

SB51, to expand investigative powers of police before getting a search warrant from a Nevada judge to look at information contained in records of customers of public utilities.

AB70, designating English as the official language of the state of Nevada.

SB281 and AB128, proposal to make extensive changes to laws governing campaign contribution and expenditure reports.

SB181 and SB315, requiring photo identification from people trying to vote. SB181 also proposed to change Nevada's mid-August primary to the first Tuesday in September in even-numbered years.

SB196, to revise a provision that restricts initiative petitions or referenda to a single subject. The single-subject issue has come up repeatedly in court disputes over ballot questions.

AB212, to remove eligibility for a Nevada Millennium Scholarship if students are caught cheating on school work three or more times.

SB279 and SB32, dealing with public records and the state's open meeting laws.

AB273, to require training for police in use of Tasers and to limit use of Tasers unless there's an immediate threat of serious bodily harm.

AB446, to require state agencies to establish "benchmarks" to measure their success and efficiency over time, and publish their results on a Web site.

SB241, to require dog and cat breeders to be licensed by the state Agriculture Department.

SB115 and SB359, to require the state and various local governments in southern Nevada to work cooperatively on plans for a light rail system between Henderson and North Las Vegas.

AB485, to extend the time that welfare benefits can be provided without a break in those benefits.

AB525, to allocate $6.4 million for programs helping families with autistic children.

AB4, to create a 'silver alert' system based on Amber Alert, a national system already in place that helps locate abducted children.

AB217, to require a fine or a traffic safety course for any driver under age 18 caught using a cell phone or similar device to talk, text-message, use the Internet or play computer games.

AB376, to require new reports from water providers on how much water they hope to conserve when changing their rates.

AB321, to divert part of the sales and use taxes now going to certain counties to the state to help deal with the current economic downturn.

AB328, to give first-time homeowners a one-year abatement of property taxes if they bought a foreclosed home.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)