Strangled in committee

Friday the 13th truly was bad luck for scores of legislative proposals that failed to survive a deadline for approval in Carson City.

Last Friday — April 13 — was the day by which bills had to emerge from a Senate or Assembly committee in order to move forward at the Legislature. (There are exceptions. For instance, a lawmaker can keep a measure alive if he successfully attaches it to a bill that survived the deadline.),

In 2005, more than 270 bills died in committee. That was about one-fourth of all the bills introduced that session. About the same number were killed this year.

Some of the proposals that met their demise included the following:

— AB159, which would have limited protests near funerals and memorial services.

— AB481, which would have adopted California’s tailpipe emission standards for vehicles.

— AB384, which would have required the state give its electoral votes for president to the winner of the national popular vote, instead of the candidate chosen by state voters.

— SB207, which would have required youngsters under 18 to wear bicycle helmets.

— SB82, which would have added Nevada to a list of 30 states with laws banning price gouging.

The great majority of these proposals deserved their fate, although it’s too bad that lawmakers rejected bills that would have abolished the state Pharmacy Board, revoked the Nanny State motorcycle helmet law and stopped local governments from regulating sidewalk signs based on content. (Isn’t that already illegal under the First Amendment?)

At any rate, Nevadans are already subjected to too many laws. Perhaps next session, lawmakers will embrace our plan to require the Legislature to repeal two state statutes for every one passed each session.

Now that would be a bill worthy of survival.