Legislature set to pick up pace as vaccinations near

CARSON CITY — With COVID-19 vaccinations scheduled to begin Wednesday for lawmakers, legislative staff and others whose job involves spending time in the legislative building, including reporters, the pace of activity in the Legislature is expected to quicken next week.

Week 3 saw both Assembly and Senate meet in full session just three of five days and a reduced level of activity in committees. By the end of Week 4, roughly a quarter of the way into the 120-day session, the level of activity should increase, with the vaccination roll-out inching the building closer to full reopening.

Since the session began Feb. 1, committee meetings have been held virtually, with lawmakers appearing from their offices, and the public has been barred from the building. Republican lawmakers have taken issue with the public restrictions, citing the loosening of rules on public gatherings in the state amid a subsiding COVID-19 threat.

They declined as a group to say whether they had been vaccinated or planned to be, though they said they were not anti-vaccine and said the matter was a question of supply.

The issue of building access came up in a lawsuit filed by four conservative lobbyists against the state

alleging constitutional violations because they were blocked from attending legislative sessions.

Legislative output itself was minimal and lawmakers continue to work through some of the more mundane bills before them. Among two exceptions last week: a bill that would ditch state presidential caucuses for a primary and another that would limit the use of no-knock warrants.

There is a slew of election-related bills in the works, including one sponsored by Republicans that would roll back provisions of a bill passed in special session last summer to expand vote-by-mail and other balloting provisions due to the pandemic.

Here’s a look at some of the 38 bills on committee agendas for next week:

Monday

The Assembly Government Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear Assembly Bill 86, which would remove a requirement in law that allows the state to seek reimbursement for firefighting costs against people or organizations that cause wildfires that threaten human life.

Under the bill, the state or a special district created for fire protection could seek reimbursements even if the fire didn’t threaten people’s lives.

Two bills come back before the Senate Education committee for second hearings. Senate Bill 2 would change proficiency testing for grade schoolers as well reporting requirements on students with disabilities and on students’ height and weight.

It would eliminate a civics exam requirement for graduation and change dates for when districts must propose, adopt and amend annual budgets.

Senate Bill 27 is a broad-based licensure streamlining bill that also would expand certain investigatory powers of the state superintendent of public instruction to include public as well as private school employees.

It also would extend a fund that pays teachers for out-of-pocket classroom expenses but limit future payments to reimbursements only.

Senate Bill 48, before the Senate Growth and Infrastructure committee, would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to designate a representative to handle DMV business in isolated cities more than 100 miles from a DMV office.

Tuesday

Assembly Bill 129 comes before the Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections committee. The Republican-sponsored bill would tighten financial reporting requirements for PACs, reducing thresholds for reporting individual contributions to $100 from $1,000, the same threshold now in place for individual candidates.

Wednesday

Senate Bill 103, before the Senate Commerce & Labor committee, would prohibit property insurers from determining policy coverage or rates for applicants based solely on their dog’s breed, although a specific dog’s temperament could still be used.

Assembly Bill 71, before the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, would make information confidential regarding the location of a rare plant or animal species or ecological community, but provide for disclosure in some cases for a reasonable fee.

Thursday

Assembly Bill 105, before the Assembly Education committee, would require governing boards formed by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association to include at least two parents or guardians of students who play an NIAA-covered sport and have two student athletes serve on any advisory board.

Carson City Journal is a weekly feature that summarizes the major events happening in the capital during the 2021 legislative session and provides a look at what’s coming next.