Deadline leaves some bills in the dust

(AP) - Several bills died Tuesday in the Nevada Legislature when they didn't receive either Senate or Assembly approval by a procedural deadline. Some measures didn't get enough votes to stay alive, while others didn't get voted on at all.

Among the bills that won't see further action this session is SB360, which sought to clean up the process for returning voting rights to convicted felons. Sponsored by Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, the bill would have eased the process for those who are honorably discharged from prison and would have allowed those who were dishonorably discharged to apply to regain their civil rights once they pay their outstanding restitution to victims.

Horsford said the bill sought to balance the rights of felons with those of the victims while still holding wrongdoers accountable.

The Assembly, however, kept a bill on the same issue alive and is expected to amend in Horsford's defeated measure. AB452, allowing ex-felons who were dishonorably discharged to petition to have their voting rights restored, is sponsored by Assemblyman Harvey Munford, D-Las Vegas. The bill passed on a 40-2 vote.

Other dead bills in the 21-member Senate include:

n SB308, defeated 7-13, a homeland security bill that would have allowed trained security officers at any business to request information from a law enforcement agency about whether a suspicious person is wanted and whether a suspicious vehicle is wanted or stolen.

Horsford, who sits on the committee that considered the bill, called it too broad and said provisions already exist to gather such information.

n SB478 didn't get a vote at all. It would have moved the state's primary from the first Tuesday in September to early May.

n SB378 also didn't get a vote. The bill would have allowed cities and counties to allow off-road vehicles on certain highways. Some lawmakers objected to a provision that would have allowed those 14 years or older to drive the vehicles on the highways, saying it was unsafe.

n SB124, which was defeated on a 10-9 vote with one senator abstaining and another absent, would have added a $25 surcharge to the penalties owed by those found guilty of a traffic violation that caused the need for emergency medical services. The money would have been used by counties to improve EMS and trauma treatment.

n SB470, which would have required airports to ensure that lines at boarding gates don't impede pedestrian traffic in the terminals and walkways.