OFF THE WIRE
Cy Ryan
http://www.lasvegassun.com/staff/cy-ryan/
CARSON CITY – A bill that would allow a motorcyclist to ride without a helmet might not have much of a future, its sponsor says.
“It has an execution day,” said Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks. “But it still has appeal rights.”
Senate Bill 77 has been sitting in the Senate Finance Committee since April without a hearing.
“I asked for a hearing and never got a reply,” Gustavson said. Asked if the bill would get a hearing, Committee Vice Chairwoman Sheila Leslie replied, “I don’t think so.”
Gustavson said he thinks he has enough backing in the committee and the full Senate if it is ever brought to a hearing.
The bill will probably meet the same fate as two other transportation bills that didn’t survive the Legislature, which is to end June 6.
There was a bill to make not wearing a seatbelt a primary offense, meaning a law enforcement officer could pull over a motorist who wasn't buckled up. Current law permits an officer to issue a citation only if the driver is stopped for another traffic offense.
The measure, Senate Bill 235, fell in the Senate Transportation Committee on a 4-3 vote with Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, joining three Republicans voting against it.
A bill to revise the law on the installation of an ignition lock following a drunken driving conviction is also stuck in the Senate Transportation Committee.
Current law allows a judge to exempt a person from installing the device if it constitutes an economic hardship. Senate Bill 166 would stop a judge from being able to give that exemption.
Still alive are bills that would prohibit cell phone use by a motorist while driving and a measure to cement into law the ability of taxicab drivers to charge $3 for a passenger to use a credit or debit card.
The cell phone bill, Senate Bill 140, passed the Senate by a 12-9 vote, but has been temporarily placed on hold in the Assembly.
The taxicab surcharge bill will be reported out of the Senate Transportation Committee on Monday, said Committee Chairwoman Shirley Breeden, D-Henderson.
