NEVADA LEGISLATURE
Sixty-ninth Session, 1997
----------
ASSEMBLY DAILY JOURNAL
------------
THE SIXTIETH DAY
------------
Carson City (Thursday), March 20, 1997
Assembly called to order at 11:18 a.m.
Mr. Speaker presiding.
Roll called.
All present.
Prayer by the Chaplain, The Reverend Stan Pesis.
I attended a seminary in downtown St. Louis. A busy street passed below our classrooms and the lectures were often punctuated with the sounds of sirens, police cars, fire trucks and ambulances speeding by on their way to crucial business. Most of the time the professors merely paused until the ruckus ended. But as those emergency vehicles interrupted one class, that professor could be heard to respond, "Go baby, go." Lord, when the eyes of your people see buildings and people threatened by flames; when the ears of Your people hear the wails of vehicles speeding to save property and lives; when the lips of Your people plead, go baby, go; Lord, go baby, go with those men and women dedicated to such service. Amen.
Pledge of allegiance to the Flag.
Assemblyman Perkins moved that further reading of the Journal be dispensed with, and the Speaker and Chief Clerk be authorized to make the necessary corrections and additions.
Motion carried.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
Mr. Speaker:
Your Committee on Elections, Procedures, and Ethics, to which was referred Assembly Bill No. 100, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to report the same back with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Christina R. Giunchigliani,
Chairman
Mr. Speaker:
Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred Assembly Bill No. 243, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to report the same back with the recommendation: Do pass.
Bernie Anderson,
Chairman
MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE
Senate Chamber, Carson City, March 19, 1997
To the Honorable the Assembly:
I have the honor to inform your honorable body that the Senate on this day passed Senate Bill No. 10.
Mary Jo Mongelli
Assistant Secretary of the Senate
MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES
By Assemblymen de Braga, Ohrenschall, Amodei, Segerblom, Buckley, Lee, Parks, Neighbors, Marvel, Von Tobel, Humke, Herrera, Goldwater, Arberry, Anderson, Bache, Freeman, Lambert, Braunlin, Koivisto, Gustavson, Cegavske, Sandoval, Mortenson, Collins, Chowning, Ernaut, Hettrick, Perkins and Giunchigliani:
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 7-- Encouraging the purchase of local agricultural products.
Assemblywoman de Braga moved that the resolution be referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Mining.
Motion carried.
By the Committee on Elections, Procedures, and Ethics:
Assembly Resolution No. 6--Providing for the appointment of an additional attaché.
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, That Betty J. Phenix is elected as an additional attaché of the Assembly for the 69th session of the Legislature of the State of Nevada.
Assemblywoman Giunchigliani moved the adoption of the resolution.
Remarks by Assemblywoman Giunchigliani.
Resolution adopted.
INTRODUCTION, FIRST READING AND REFERENCE
By Assemblymen Ohrenschall, de Braga, Buckley, Koivisto, Manendo, Anderson, Herrera, Segerblom, Perkins, Sandoval, Berman, Amodei, Marvel, Humke, Gustavson, Von Tobel, Goldwater, Arberry, Freeman, Bache, Lambert, Parks, Cegavske, Braunlin, Lee, Collins, Mortenson, Chowning, Williams, Neighbors, Tiffany, Hickey, Evans, Krenzer, Nolan, Price, Dini and Giunchigliani:
Assembly Bill No. 292--An Act relating to the estates of decedents; setting a limit for their closing; providing exceptions; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Assemblywoman Ohrenschall moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
By the Committee on Judiciary:
Assembly Bill No. 293--An Act relating to district courts; increasing the number of judges in the eighth judicial district; increasing the number of the district judges that must be judges of the family court; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Assemblyman Anderson moved that the bill be referred to the Concurrent Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means.
Motion carried.
By the Committee on Judiciary:
Assembly Bill No. 294--An Act relating to gaming; authorizing the discretionary investigation of certain persons associated with a gaming licensee; expanding the classification of persons prohibited from being associated with a gaming licensee; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Assemblyman Anderson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
By the Committee on Government Affairs:
Assembly Bill No. 295--An Act relating to state employees; revising the provisions governing the composition of the classified service and the unclassified service of the state; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Assemblyman Bache moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
By the Committee on Government Affairs:
Assembly Bill No. 296--An Act relating to unincorporated towns; requiring the title and summary of certain proposed ordinances to be published before the meeting at which the ordinance is to be adopted or otherwise acted upon by the town board or board of county commissioners; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Assemblyman Bache moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Senate Bill No. 10.
Assemblyman Perkins moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Elections, Procedures, and Ethics.
Motion carried.
second reading and amendment
Assembly Bill No. 174.
Bill read second time and ordered to third reading.
Senate Bill No. 14.
Bill read second time and ordered to third reading.
MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE
Senate Chamber, Carson City, March 20, 1997
To the Honorable the Assembly:
I have the honor to inform your honorable body that the Senate on this day adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 22.
Mary Jo Mongelli
Assistant Secretary of the Senate
MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 22.
Assemblywoman Lambert moved the adoption of the resolution.
Remarks by Assemblymen Lambert, Anderson, Hettrick, Ernaut and Amodei.
Assemblyman Perkins requested that the following remarks be entered in the Journal.
Assemblywoman Lambert:
We see fires on TV, and they look very awesome and very dangerous. Well, I was an eyewitness to this one--frankly, all too close. I could look out my upstairs window, across I-80 and the Truckee River and see this fire just eat up everything before it. The arsonist started the fire just as the wind began picking up in the afternoon--the resolution says 30 miles an hour, but you can't prove it by me. You could hardly stand up in that wind.
The fire moved faster than any person could possibly run ahead of it; probably faster than you could drive in front of it. In a very short period of time, with phenomenal coordination, there was an army of people fighting the fire from the ground and from the air. I saw some things that really, I think, redefined my definition of heroism. I could see the house that is across the street from mine by the Steamboat Ditch, and there was a fire truck parked by the house. They had evacuated the residence, and the fire had burned up to the house. It is a two-story house, and the flames were two or three times higher than the house. The firefighters were there; they stayed there as the flames burned around the house, and when the smoke cleared and I could see again, the house was still standing. The firefighters were still there. They stayed there all night, and as the fire flared again and again, they put it out, and in the morning, the house was still there and the firefighters were still there. If you could only see what they were up against--the courage that they displayed was incredible.
I would hope that you would support this resolution. It took tremendous coordination of many, many people with phenomenal courage to put this fire out, and we owe them all a debt of gratitude. It is really an honor to be able to express our appreciation, and I hope you will join me in approving SCR 22. Thank you.
Assemblyman Anderson:
I also rise in support of the resolution. I had the great fortune of only having to witness this travesty and this fire via the television rather than being an eyewitness to it as my distinguished colleague from the western section of Washoe County has reported to you already.
I wanted to point out, however, that this resolution also speaks to the joint efforts of the Nevada Division of Forestry. In one of its Friday "weekend with Bernie" trips, the Judiciary Committee recently toured the Silver Springs Facility Conservation Camp. The women at that facility provided services for the Nevada Division of Forestry, and that conservation camp is, of course, part of one of the programs we do through the prison system. Often times we think our efforts in supporting such programs prove for naught, and this is one clear example of where we've put a program together that helps every citizen and raises the worth of human dignity. I think this resolution speaks well for the people who did this, but also for our support, and I want to rise in support of it.
Assemblyman Hettrick:
I, too, rise in support of this resolution. I don't want to take away, in any way, from this resolution and the recognition of the people who fought at the Belli fire. I would just like to point out that many of these same agencies fought multiple fires within the State of Nevada, including one in Douglas County, and I'd like to recognize them verbally, with this resolution going through, for the job they did down there in very trying conditions.
My secretary, Linda Cooper, had photographs of the fire up in the office--the fire that came right up to the back door of her house and the fighting that went on there to try to save her house, which they did. We did lose four homes there before fire staff could get to Douglas County and help. I definitely want to rise in support and honor the people who fight fires all over the State of Nevada, not just Belli, but certainly support them for that, as well.
Assemblyman Ernaut:
I, too, would like to stand and voice my support for SCR 22. I think anybody that's lived in Nevada a long time, especially in the rural parts of our state, knows the feeling in their stomach when they look up in the sky and for the first time see a cloud of dark smoke rising up into the air and know that somewhere there's a fire.
Like Mrs. Lambert, I was very close to the Belli Ranch fire. As a side note, the fire was roaring towards District 37 until the Division of Forestry got involved and they diverted it successfully to Mr. Sandoval's district, right at the Steamboat Ditch. On a serious note, we were at the edge of Caughlin Ranch helping friends move personal belongings from their homes as the fire raced towards Caughlin Ranch at about 40 miles an hour. The flames were three and four stories high, and I'll never forget--I still get choked up thinking about it--I'll never forget the fire line as they knelt and pulled their helmets down and said, "It stops here." And it did. That was courage beyond anything I've ever personally seen in my life, and I just want to say thank you very much.
Assemblyman Amodei:
Being raised in the NDF family, as my father is a retired NDF employee, and seeing the state forester and some of his folks over at Mrs. Lambert's desk, I just want to rise in support of this resolution also and urge you to provide the support that it surely deserves.
Resolution adopted.
unfinished business
Signing of Bills and Resolutions
There being no objections, the Speaker and Chief Clerk signed Senate Concurrent Resolution No 17.
REMARKS FROM THE FLOOR
Assemblyman Price requested that Assemblyman Ernaut's remarks be entered in the Journal.
I wanted to give everybody an update. Many of you have asked, and I really appreciate that. Tomorrow morning at 6 a.m., we're going to go in and induce pregnancy--I got the process a little backwards. God, my mind is way away from here. We're going to induce labor, so hopefully by somewhere around this time tomorrow, I'll be a dad. I know that it's going to happen this time because my wife just called me and said that she and my mother-in-law had gotten in an argument over the Winnie the Pooh wallpaper border, so I know that it must be time. Thank you for everybody's cards and letters and really nice thoughts and comments, and hopefully when I see you all on Monday morning--if I do see you all on Monday morning--I'll be a less rested, but proud father.
GUESTS EXTENDED PRIVILEGE OF ASSEMBLY FLOOR
On request of Assemblywoman de Braga, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Cindi Byrns.
On request of Assemblyman Ernaut, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Dave Courtney.
On request of Assemblywoman Freeman, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Wes White.
On request of Assemblyman Herrera, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Greg Greenhaw.
On request of Assemblyman Hettrick, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Rodger Craig.
On request of Assemblyman Hickey, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Shellie Hunt.
On request of Assemblywoman Lambert, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Roy Trenoweth, Steve Frady, Rich Riolo, Dick Boykin and Mike Dondero.
On request of Assemblyman Marvel, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Barry Cason.
On request of Assemblyman Perkins, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Brenda McDonald.
On request of Assemblywoman Segerblom, the privilege of the floor of the Assembly Chamber for this day was extended to Kit Morse.
Assemblyman Perkins moved that the Assembly adjourn until Monday, March 24, 1997 at 11 a.m.
Motion carried.
Assembly adjourned at 11:51 a.m.
Approved: Joseph E. Dini, Jr.
Speaker of the Assembly
Attest: Linda B. Alden
Chief Clerk of the Assembly