Nevada Legislature OKs school funding bill, bans ‘ghost guns’

CARSON CITY — State lawmakers on Friday approved a new framework for distributing billions of state education dollars and voted to ban the sale and possession of untraceable “ghost guns” among nearly 200 bills that moved through the Senate and Assembly on a deadline day for action.

Senate Bill 439, the school funding framework bill, passed in the Assembly on 36-5 vote. Along with votes on school dollars earlier this week, lawmakers “have put a lot of half a billion dollars into education, and today you just voted on a supplemental of over $237 million because the education fund came up short,” Assemblywoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, said in presenting the bill. “I believe what the body is doing for education right now is historic.”

In the Senate, the ghost gun bill, Assembly Bill 286, passed on a 12-9 party-line vote. The oft-amended bill bans the sale and possession of firearms that lack serial numbers, such as those sold as kits or made with 3D printers. It makes exceptions for inoperable or antique firearms. The earlier Assembly vote also went along party lines.

A provision cut from the original bill, criminalizing possession of a weapon on properties that ban them, was resurrected in another bill introduced Tuesday. Senate Bill 452, which would apply to casinos, is scheduled for a hearing Saturday.

Both houses adjourned after 11:30 p.m., the Senate after midnight, with lawmakers passing a combined 197 bills on the day, most of them facing an end-of-day deadline to pass or die for the session. Including Saturday, there are 10 days left in the session.

Also passing in the Senate on Friday:

Assembly Bill 254 would allow student-athletes to sign endorsement deals, be compensated for the use of their name, likeness or image and contract with an agent. The Senate vote was unanimous. It passed the Assembly 34-8.

Assembly Bill 296 allows people to sue if they are subject to “doxxing” — having their sensitive or personal data publicly disseminated. A person would be liable if the release of information created mental anguish or a fear of stalking, bodily injury or death, or caused those events. The bill passed the Senate 16-5 after passing the Assembly unanimously.

Assembly Bill 336 provides for new annual behavioral wellness visits for peace officers. The bill passed the Senate 17-4 following a 33-9 vote in the Assembly.

Assembly Bill 356 bans the use of Colorado River water to irrigate decorative or otherwise nonfunctional grass on nonresidential properties, starting in 2027. The Senate vote was unanimous; the bill earlier passed the Assembly 30-12.

— Assembly Bill 400 changes the criteria for when a person is unlawfully operating a vehicle under the influence of marijuana. An amendment added provisions tightening DUI rules for commercial operators. It passed the Senate 15-6 after earlier passing the Assembly on a party line vote.

Passing in the Assembly:

An amended Senate Bill 102 changes the date by which date a child must turn 5 years old to enter kindergarten, from Sept. 30 to the the first day of school. The same criterion applies to 6-year-olds and 7-year-olds entering first and second grade, respectively. The measure passed unanimously as it did earlier in the Senate.

Senate Bill 103 would bar insurers from charging higher premiums for certain dog breeds. It passed the Assembly 32-9, following an 18-3 vote in the Senate.

Senate Bill 150, which would set rules for communities to allow construction of so-called tiny homes. The bill passed the Senate 20-1.

Senate Bill 166 changes the criteria for hate crimes, removing the requirement in felony cases that perpetrator and victim be of different race, sexual orientation, gender identity or other defining characteristic. It passed the assembly 33-8 after passing the Senate 12-9.

Senate Bill 173 would earmark federal pandemic aid for expanded summer school programs this year to help students catch up on their education following last year’s pandemic-related school closures. The vote in the Assembly was 33-8. The Senate vote was unanimous.

Senate Bill 190 would allow to women to obtain birth control at a pharmacy without a prior visit to a doctor. The bill passed the Assembly 28-13 after passing the Senate unanimously.

Senate Bill 237 adds LGTBQ-owned small businesses to those eligible for various forms of additional assistance, incentives and protection from discrimination. It passed the Assembly on a 26-15 party-line vote. The Senate vote on the bill was 13-7.

Senate Bill 293 aims at gender pay gaps by banning employers from reviewing a prospective employee’s previous pay history to set salary. It passed the Assembly 30-11 following a 17-4 vote in the Senate.

Senate Bill 311 would authorize the state Rural Housing Authority to create a for-profit entity to spur more affordable housing. The vote in the Assembly was 38-3, following a unanimous vote in the Senate.

Senate Bill 327 adds hairstyles to the list of racially or ethnically distinctive traits protected from discrimination. It passed the Assembly 33-8 following a 20-1 vote in the Senate.

An amended Senate Bill 344 would bar people from letting wild animals come into direct contact with others. It passed the Assembly 35-6 , following a 12-9 vote in the Senate.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.