MINUTES OF THE

SENATE Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

Seventy-First Session

May 2, 2001

 

 

The Senate Committee on Human Resources and Facilitieswas called to order by Chairman Raymond D. Rawson, at 3:20 p.m., on Wednesday, May 2, 2001, in Room 2135 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada.  The meeting was video conferenced to the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, Room 4412, Las Vegas, Nevada.  Exhibit A is the Agenda.  Exhibit B is the Attendance Roster.  All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Senator Raymond D. Rawson, Chairman

Senator Maurice Washington, Vice Chairman

Senator Mark Amodei

Senator Bernice Mathews

Senator Michael Schneider

Senator Valerie Wiener

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:

 

Senator Randolph J. Townsend (Excused)

 

GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:

 

Assemblywoman Bonnie L. Parnell, Carson City (part), Assembly District No. 40

Assemblywoman Vonne S. Chowning, Clark County Assembly District No. 28

 

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

H. Pepper Sturm, Committee Policy Analyst

Cynthia Cook, Committee Secretary

 

OTHERS PRESENT:

 

Robin Keith, Lobbyist, Nevada Rural Health Project Foundation

Ed Epperson, Hospital Administrator, Carson Tahoe Hospital

Bryon Slobe, Acting State Fire Marshall, State Fire Marshall Division, Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety

Steve Robinson, State Forester Firewarden, Division of Forestry, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Katherine S. Zagorski, Deputy Fire Chief, Clark County Fire Department

Douglas Downs, Supervising Inspector, Las Vegas Fire Department

Raymond (Rusty) C. McAllister, Lobbyist, Professional Firefighters of Nevada

Tim McCoy, Concerned Citizen

Earlene Forsythe, Lobbyist, Alliance With the Washoe County Medical Society

Nikki Meloskie, Executive Director, Family to Family: Americans for Prostate Cancer Support

 

Chairman Rawson opened the hearing on Assembly Bill (A.B.) 13.

 

ASSEMBLY BILL 13: Revises provisions governing membership of boards of trustees of public hospitals and county hospital districts. (BDR 40-436)

 

Robin Keith, Lobbyist, Nevada Rural Health Project Foundation, testified the bill amends current law to enable the boards of hospital trustees to provide for the appointment of the chief of medical staff as a voting member of hospital boards.  She added A.B. 13 also provides for filling a vacancy if there were a resignation.

 

Chairman Rawson commented currently the chief of staff is an alternate non-voting member of the board, which might be perceived as a conflict, but in a rural situation there is a need for talented and dedicated people. 

 

Ms. Keith said rural hospitals operate in a very difficult environment.  She said most hospitals are governed by people who are committed to public service, but they do not necessarily have skills in medicine.  She reiterated the hospitals hope to bring the expertise of their chiefs of staff to the decision making process, and this legislation makes it possible.

 

Ed Epperson, Hospital Administrator, Carson Tahoe Hospital, opined it is state-of-the-art to have physicians as voting members of hospital boards in order to listen to their input and to hold them accountable for decisions made by the board through their representation.  He referred to a 1998 survey by The Governance Institute. (The Governance Institute serves as an independent source of governance information and education for health care organizations across the United States.)  Mr. Epperson said the survey identifies the median number of medical staff directors on a board as three, and one percent of hospitals boards have no medical staff directors on their board.

 

Assemblywoman Bonnie L. Parnell, Carson City (part), Assembly District       No. 40, stated she has been working with interested parties in Carson City and rural Nevada.  She said to allow the county commissioners to appoint the chief of staff to serve as a voting member of the board will address some of the concerns she heard.

 

            SENATOR MATHEWS MOVED TO DO PASS A.B.13.

 

            SENATOR AMODEI SECONDED THE MOTION.

 

            THE MOTION CARRIED. (SENATORS SCHNEIDER AND TOWNSEND             WERE ABSENT FOR THE VOTE.)

 

*****

 

Chairman Rawson opened the hearing on A.B. 482.

 

ASSEMBLY BILL 482: Makes various changes relating to regulation of fireworks. (BDR 42-1024)

 

Assemblywoman Vonne S. Chowning, Clark County Assembly District No. 28, told the committee this bill has a new and different aspect to it: the provisions of this act are contingent upon the approval of the voters at the next general election, since thus far taxpayers have not had a voice.  Ms. Chowning contends this law would allow each county to ban the storage, use, and manufacture of any kind of fireworks.  She said the counties could take the middle of the road approach, as they have in Clark County, and allow only “safe and sane” fireworks, which is a category of fireworks that do not explode and have none of the unstable characteristics of dangerous and illegal fireworks. 

 

Bryon Slobe, Acting Nevada State Fire Marshall, State Fire Marshall Division, Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety, testified in support of        A.B. 482.  He stated each year the division must spend funds to investigate fires and injuries caused by explosive fireworks.  Mr. Slobe said the people have a right to vote on this issue.

 

In answer to Senator Mathews, Assemblywoman Chowning made it clear the bill defines the types of fireworks to be authorized, and they meet a federal standard as items that do not leave the ground, nor do they explode.  She said this is not legislation aimed at one manufacturer.

 

Mr. Slobe explained “safe and sane” is a term recognized by most people, but it is not a brand name.

 

Senator Washington said since most of the counties in the state do not allow fireworks at all, is the bill applicable to Clark County?

 

Assemblywoman Chowning answered most of the counties do not allow the sale of fireworks.  She said A.B. 482 would allow all counties to continue in the same fashion; however if they do decide to sell fireworks they could only sell the “safe and sane” type.

 

Steve Robinson, State Forester Firewarden, Division of Forestry, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, testified in support of the legislation.  He said the measure allows the public to make the decisions.

 

Katherine S. Zagorski, Deputy Fire Chief, Clark County Fire Department, testified in support of the bill.  She said according to the department, there is an increased number of fires during the week of the Fourth of July.  Ms. Zagorski added that Clark County guidelines for testing and acceptance procedures are comprehensive, and booths are required to have permits and be inspected by the department.

 

Douglas Downs, Supervising Inspector, Las Vegas Fire Department, told the committee during the week of the Fourth of July there is a ten-fold increase in fires.  He said although the inspectors patrol the area and look for illegal fireworks, each year the number of illegal fireworks continues to increase.     Mr. Downs said the Las Vegas Fire Department endorses the bill.

 

Raymond (Rusty) C. McAllister, Lobbyist, Professional Firefighters of Nevada, testified the firefighters strongly endorse A.B. 482. 

 

Tim McCoy, Concerned Citizen, testified he is the owner of the Red Rock Trading Company, a small fireworks store located in Pahrump, Nevada.  He stated his opposition to A.B. 482, and told the committee it would put him out of business.  He said the Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates everything he sells, and the bill will not prevent sales on the Indian reservations.

 

Vice Chairman Washington closed the hearing on A.B. 482, and opened the hearing on Senate Concurrent Resolution (S.C.R.) 24.

 

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 24: Urges Commission on Tourism and Commission on Economic Development to promote Nevada as state where choice in health care is available. (BDR R-1494)

 

Earlene Forsythe, Lobbyist, Alliance With the Washoe County Medical Society and the Cancer Screening and Treatment Center of Nevada, supports this resolution.  She asserted alternative choice is important for patients, and freedom of health care choice is an American freedom.  She quoted statistics from the New England Journal of Medicine, which stated 150,000 patients die annually from the adverse effects of conventional medicine, whereas less than 1000 patients die annually from alternative medicines.

 

Senator Schneider said the bill is a companion to a drug bill, which refers to alternative and experimental drugs, and he thinks S.C.R. 24 is something, which will promote Nevada to be on the cutting edge of medical choice.

 

Nikki Meloskie, Executive Director, Family to Family: Americans for Prostate Cancer Support, said alternative medication has been extremely helpful in the prostate cancer fight and she supports the work of Ms. Forsythe and the bill. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vice Chairman Washington closed the hearing on S.C.R. 24 and adjourned the meeting at 3:58 p.m.

 

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

 

 

 

Cynthia Cook,

Committee Secretary

 

 

APPROVED BY:

 

 

 

                       

Senator Raymond D. Rawson, Chairman

 

 

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