An Overview of Nevada Labor Bills

By Peter Cooper, California Labor Federation

The Nevada Legislature started its session in early February with a flurry of new bills and ramped-up discussions of initiatives for the 2006 ballot. The Legislators will discuss three initiative petition proposals, including one that would legalize an ounce of marijuana and two others that would reduce the number of public places where smoking is allowed. If the Legislature rejects the initiatives in the next 40 days, all three will go to the voters on the 2006 ballot.

Much of the discussion this year in both houses will be on taxes. Speaker Richard Perkins opened the Assembly for the 2005 Legislature and quickly called for a $50,000 exemption on property tax values. Offering his own proposal to resolve what many view as the top issue confronting lawmakers, Perkins, D-Henderson, said: "The plan is simple.

A house taxed today on $250,000 of value will now be taxed on only $200,000." Some Democrats are concerned that the tax breaks will be unequally distributed between richer and poorer regions of Nevada and that there will not be enough tax revenue generated for public services necessary for growth, such as schools and teacher salaries.

Labor-related bills under consideration this session, include:
Raising the minimum wage immediately by $1 an hour and paying elementary school teachers $500 as reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred buying classroom supplies.

Following a demonstration of 500 labor activists in Las Vegas over escalating health care costs, Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said the Legislature should look into a "community reinvestment act" for health care. He said such an act would require hospitals to invest part of their profits in local programs before paying corporate headquarters. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2005/Feb-08-Tue-2005/news/25821071.html

AB 44 (Assembly Governmental Affairs Committee) is a bill that make more workers able to get paid overtime. Existing law requires certain employers to pay time and a half if their employees work more than 40 hours in one week or more than 8 hours in one day. Employees who earn at least one and one-half times the minimum wage are excluded from this requirement. This bill removes the exclusion from overtime pay for employees earning at least one and one-half times the minimum wage.

The Following are Labor-related bill ideas waiting to be formally introduced:

• Bill Draft Request 28-321 is a measure by the Labor Commissioner, Office of-Business and Industry. Makes various changes to provisions governing the powers and duties of the Labor Commissioner.

• Bill Draft Request 294 by the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor makes various changes relating to the State Contractors' Board.

• Bill Draft Request 53-365 by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor provides for adoption of the SUTA Dumping Prevention Act relating to unemployment insurance.

• Bill Draft Request 53-596 by Assemblywoman Koivisto authorizes employers to enter into fair share agreements with labor organizations.

The Nevada Legislature only has 120 days to meet and pass legislation before it goes on hiatus for 2006 and then back again in 2007.

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