Las Vegas NowNew Laws Take Effect July 1

New Laws Take Effect July 1

Here's are highlights of new laws taking effect July 1 in Nevada:

-- AB10 protects nurses against retaliation for disclosing problems that endanger patients at hospitals or other medical facilities; and SB229 seeks to ensure that foreign-trained doctors who get visas to work in "medically underserved" areas actually provide care in those areas.

-- SB307 calls for a study of Nevada's Medicaid system. The program provided insurance to an average of more than 180,000 people, including the elderly, disabled, children and pregnant women, in fiscal 2008.

-- SB267 is aimed at ensuring open meeting laws are followed by government agencies when they revise their regulations. It requires public access to workshops and hearings of public agencies, along with meetings that already are open to the public. Documents relating to regulations have to be available at meetings.

-- AB140 makes it mandatory to notify renters that a property is in foreclosure, and to give renters 60 days notice to move out. The law also requires that a notice be served to the state Board of Health if a licensed health facility faces foreclosure.

-- SB128 requires that a foreclosure sale must be recorded with the county recorder in a timely manner, to help keep track of the owner of a foreclosed home.

-- SB395, sought by Gov. Jim Gibbons, encourages renewable energy development, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and requires state buildings to adopt energy and water efficiency standards. SB395 also requires that at least 25 percent of electricity sold to consumers by energy companies be from renewable sources by 2025, and makes it easier for renewable energy companies to come to Nevada by allowing more utility companies to sidestep part of a lengthy permitting process.

-- AB522 renews tax abatements for green energy projects. The abatements were set to expire in July. Also, AB492 requires firms that get tax abatements to verify they created jobs and benefits for Nevadans.

-- AB416 requires research on water resources in arid Nevada before water is piped from one location to another. Water basin transfers are a key element of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's plans to bolster the water supply for Las Vegas. The authority is working on an elaborate, costly pipeline project that would carry water from distant Nevada valleys to Las Vegas. A related law, AB480, allows for higher fees to ensure the state can properly oversee its water resources.

-- SB188 encourages development of solar hot water heating systems through demonstration projects.

-- SB339 requires Nevada's Colorado River Commission to conduct a feasibility study to explore the use of hydrokinetic power from the Hoover Dam. The goal of the bill is to look into the widest range of renewable energy technologies possible.

-- AB154 mandates that school districts establish policies barring criminal gang activity on school grounds. Assemblyman Harvey Munford, D-Las Vegas, who sponsored AB154, said school district trustees already can establish such policies, but a mandate is needed because no part of Nevada is immune to gang activity.

-- SB82 gives law enforcement the ability to read information on prepaid debit cards when investigating money-smuggling by drug dealers or financing for terrorists. SB82 began as a proposal to let authorities conduct secret searches on electronic communications and seize funds on prepaid debit cards without a warrant, but faced opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada.

-- AB389 is aimed at helping to prevent identity theft by making less credit card information available on printed receipts. The new law prohibits printing more than the last five digits of credit card numbers and expiration dates on copies of customer and business receipts.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)