Latest news with #SenateBill415
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
281 bills fall victim to deadline at Nevada Legislature. Here are the highlights
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A total of 281 bills missed a Friday deadline to win committee passage in Carson City, the first major deadline at the Nevada Legislature this session. If that seems like a lot, consider that 875 bills are still alive. One bill known as 'Reba's Law' got a quick reprieve on Monday as lawmakers scrambled to bring it back. That followed a public outcry that is rare at this stage. Other bills aren't likely to get the same rescue, although they can be brought back from the heap in a number of ways. We've told you about some of the bills that died: the Hotel Safety Act, the medical aid in dying bill and the Nevada lottery. But here's a look at some others that missed the deadline: Senate Bill 415 would have allowed law enforcement to install automated traffic enforcement cameras. The bill was supported by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, but opposed by the ACLU of Nevada. The ACLU issued a statement from executive director Athar Haseebullah regarding the bill: 'This bill was bad policy from the start. The deployment of red-light cameras is often framed as a matter of public safety, but in reality, most civil liberties abuses happen under the guise of public safety. Automated traffic enforcement systems, which raise significant constitutional concerns, are problematic tools used to generate revenue for the government on the backs of ordinary Nevadans, and other communities have paid out tens of millions of dollars in settlements based on faulty systems. From a practical perspective, the Legislature couldn't exercise oversight of the data collected through these programs because it is not privy to every surveillance tool law enforcement has in its possession and how that data is used. We commend the Nevada Senate for not advancing this bill and encourage the Legislature to be mindful of the harms of automated traffic enforcement systems.' The Culinary Union ripped Democratic leaders for killing the state lottery. 'When politicians talk about democracy being at risk, but block Nevadans from voting on something as straightforward as a state lottery, their words ring hollow. Actions speak louder than rhetoric,' according to a statement issued by the union. 'With federal cuts looming, uncertainty around the state budget, and lack of funding for education and mental health, Nevadans need real solutions and we need it now. Politicians cannot complain about budget shortfalls while refusing to even consider a bill that would bring in new revenue,' according to the union. Nevada Republicans also criticized the Democrat-controlled Legislature for refusing to bring constitutional amendments to increase transparency to a vote. The amendments were authored by Republican Assem. Heidi Kasama. 'After years of scandals that have cost them the public's trust, Democrats in our State Legislature are covering up their ethical failures and denying Nevadans the right to know what they are doing,' according to a news release from Better Nevada PAC. Also left behind: AB195 would have required the Clark County School District to give nonvoting members the same duties, rights and responsibilities as the members of the board of trustees who are elected to the office. AB240 would have required certain schools and institutions of higher education to designate by sex the athletic teams and sports sponsored by the schools, along with a prohibition on male or female athletes from competing on teams designated for the other sex. AB293 would have created the state Office of Aerospace. AB311 would have prohibited an insurance company from refusing to provide coverage to a driver who works for a transportation network company. The bill would also require network companies to provide medical payments coverage and coverage involving uninsured/underinsured motorists. AB317 would have authorized cities and counties to establish a program to provide housing to help people experiencing homelessness. SB94 would have taken Nevada off Daylight Saving Time. But … AB81, sponsored by Democrat Selena La Rue Hatch passed, and it does the same thing. SB103 would have required mail ballots to be received on or before Election Day. SB184 would have banned the use of latex gloves in food establishments and health care settings. SB219 would have increased the penalties for organized retail theft. Rather than a 2-15 year sentence, the bill would have required a 3-30 year prison term, and a tripling of the fine, up to $30,000. SB223 would have increased the penalties for sex trafficking a child or helping someone sex trafficking a child. SB365 would have limited attorneys from collecting a contingency fee in excess of 20% of the amount recovered, except in state cases involving negligence in health care matters. SB392 would have imposed a state sales tax on digital products electronically transferred to a buyer. The tax would have required the facilitator to collect and remit the tax if sales were over $100,000. SB394 would have prohibited the sale of fireworks to anyone under the age of 18. Next up: An April 22 deadline for bills to advance to the next house. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
As NV lawmakers speed toward red light camera law, civil rights groups want to pump the brakes
Critics note the use of automated enforcement across the country has been overused and opens up the potential for sensitive data to be collected and shared. (Photo: Hugh Jackson/Nevada Current) Amid growing numbers of traffic fatalities across Nevada, state lawmakers during interim meetings last year discussed whether red light and speed cameras or enhanced infrastructure would be the best way to improve road safety. A long-awaited bill, backed by state traffic safety officials and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, to authorize traffic enforcement by automated camera was heard Monday. However, legislation to study, let alone mandate the traffic infrastructure side of the equation 'has never materialized,' Nick Shepack, Nevada state director of the Fines and Fees Center, told state lawmakers. Lawmakers agreed last year to create legislation 'on traffic safety infrastructure that creates safety on all streets and focuses on high impact areas as well as authorizes the use of safety cameras,' Shepack said. 'We are missing the first half of the bill,' he said. The three-hour hearing kicked off a robust discussion about repealing Nevada's law, adopted in 1999, banning the use of speed and red light cameras. Senate Bill 415, heard Monday by the Senate Growth and Infrastructure Committee, would allow local jurisdictions to use automated traffic enforcement, such as red light cameras, if they chose to do so. Drivers could face a $100 find for running a red light under the legislation. The bill would require jurisdictions that want to use cameras to conduct a 60-day public awareness campaign on automated traffic enforcement. For the first 30 days in use, camera-automated enforcement would only result in warnings. Andrew Bennett, the chair of Nevada Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety, presented amended language for the bill alongside Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, the National Transportation Board, and Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft. The ACLU of Nevada, the Nevada Fines and Fees Justice Center and Clark County Public Defender's officer presented a counter presentation to the bill about the concerns of automated traffic enforcement. They noted the use of automated enforcement across the country has been overused in low-income communities and communities of color and opens up the potential for sensitive data to be collected and shared. The legislation, as heard, still comes with too many lingering questions, they told lawmakers. 'We view this as a half-baked proposal,' said Athar Haseebullah, the executive director of the ACLU of Nevada. 'This is not ready to move forward. This body routinely engages in study. We say put it to a study. If this body is so compelled, put it to a ballot question.' [/subhed] McMahill told state lawmakers Monday that while he wasn't 'a proponent of big government' it was the growing number of traffic accidents, and deaths, that changed his mind. 'I'm not a proponent, really, of traffic cameras, until the last 10 years or so,' he said. 'The bottom line is that I'm sick and tired of people dying on our roadways because of the bad behavior of other drivers.' Roughly 160 people were killed on Clark County roads last year, McMahill said. 'We're here today because 3,535 people have lost their lives in Nevada on our roadways over the last decade,' Bennett added. The growing number of deaths, he said, demanded urgency. Traffic officials previously told lawmakers during the interim session that the number of fatalities in the state from 2019 to 2022 has increased 36%. 'The National Conference for state legislators shows that 33 states currently allow the use of this technology in all or specific situations,' Bennett said, adding that automated enforcement 'saves lives.' 'I think there are certain aspects of government that we should not privatize,' Democratic state Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, chair of the Senate Growth and Infrastructure committee. 'I do have some concerns that we are privatizing our law enforcement officers in enacting legislation like this, because that's what we're doing.' The bill would enable local jurisdictions in setting up traffic cameras, though the Nevada Department of Transportation would be tasked with setting up enforcement procedural regulations. People would be mailed the citation and would have 90 days to respond. They could also contest the ticket if they weren't driving. The citations 'are not classified as moving violations and will not impact a driver's record or license,' Bennett said. Republican state Sen. Ira Hansen questioned how a $100 fee outlined in the language – a fine people wouldn't get until months after the fact – would actually prevent people from speeding or running red lights. 'I mean 100 bucks,' Hansen said. 'No demerit. No insurance notification. Because, you know, those are things when you start paying an extra 500 bucks a year, $1,000 a year … that has an impact.' Bennett said the language was to find a balance between concerns presented by groups like the Fines and Fees Justice Center. Hansen also questioned how many of the traffic fatalities last year where a driver ran a red light or was speeding stemmed from the driver being intoxicated or on drugs. Bennett said he wasn't able to get that information prior to the hearing. Since the idea of automated enforcement gained traction in Nevada, opponents have warned that some jurisdictions across the country have used red light cameras as a revenue source. An amendment to the bill Bennett presented said any additional funds collected from enforcement would be allocated to cover the cost of the program. Any additional funds after that would be used exclusively for engineering improvements in that jurisdiction, he said. The legislation also prohibits per-ticket contracts and profit sharing with the vendors. Nguyen said the bill needs more guardrails to prevent excessive fines and fees. 'That money still goes to law enforcement,' she said. 'It seems like a conflict of interest.' Sponsors also amended their original bill to add a provision prohibiting governments from sharing information with immigration enforcement agencies. Haseebullah said the provision was 'a nice gesture' but he is wary of its practical effect. 'It would require us to have information access to everything in their possession, and we don't,' he said. 'I don't know if relying on the ACLU to put in public records requests to the same bodies hiding this information or charging us sums of money in order to get this data is an effective solution.' The bill's opponents urged lawmakers to refocus on traffic infrastructure, including using items like roundabouts or changing the design of streets, to reduce accidents. 'You make the roads less wide,' Shepack said. 'You build in buffer lanes between the crosswalks and the streets. In Vegas we have a huge problem with a bus stop being in the middle of the block. It's 118 degrees and people have to run across four lanes of traffic. You can put in certain medians to deter this behavior.' Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft suggested many of those ideas have been 'implemented today in unincorporated Clark County and I would dare to say in the other jurisdictions who spoke today as well.' 'That doesn't mean the work is done,' Naft said. 'We have much more to do when it comes to infrastructure. There are billions of dollars we could spend on infrastructure to ensure everyone is safe in our community. Alternatively, we have this route, which does allow a path for some consequence, for some action to be taken when someone violates the law and for some accountability to be had.' The committee took no action on the bill.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate Bill 415 proposes traffic cameras to cut fatalities across Nevada
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Adding traffic cameras is a hot topic of discussion among county and state leaders. Officials met at the Nevada Legislature Monday to try and pass Senate Bill 415 which would put extra eyes on the road and hold drivers accountable. Susan Smith, lost her son, Jonny, six years ago after a speeding driver hit him and his friend on their way home from school. His friend survived, but Jonny didn't. Smith, who is now an advocate for roadway safety, spoke at Monday's Legislative session via Zoom. She said she is pleased to see the efforts being made. 'I think that it would work as a deterrent and we know that they'll slow down because they want to avoid that ticket,' Smith shared with 8 News Now. 'In the session, they said that these cameras reduce traffic fatalities by 20% to 50%. That's a lot and I feel like it could have prevented my son's death.' 'Is there value in this technology?' Sheriff wants speed, red light cameras in Clark County Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill, who was at the Nevada Legislature in Reno wanted change after seeing countless traffic-related deaths across the valley. 'I was not a proponent of traffic cameras until the last 10 years or so and the bottom line is I'm sick and tired of people dying on our roadways because of the bad behavior of other drivers,' Sheriff McMahill said. The most recent fatal crash happened overnight on Martin Luther King and Owens, Monday morning. That crash marks the 43 traffic-related fatality in Metro's jurisdiction this year. 'I received a call at 2 a.m. that another individual crossing the street on a sidewalk was killed. The driver ran a red light and was speeding,' he added. As for those opposed to the cameras, the ACLU of Nevada stated that it would jeopardize people's privacy by collecting people's data. 'There are serious civil liberty concerns associated with this bill. Where is the data going to be stored? Who has access to the data and which agencies will it be shared with,' Executive Director of the ACLU of Nevada, Athar Haseebullah said. In addition, Republican State Senator Ira Hanson shared his opinion on the matter. 'I just don't see the absolute need to have automatic red lights trying to slow down people. Obviously, with the guy who killed those seven people, he was going 105 in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. People like that will not be impacted by having red light cameras there,' he exclaimed. Another major complaint was that law enforcement was going to receive a monetary benefit for cameras being installed, but according to Sheriff McMahill, law enforcement, nor the city or county will receive any funds, but instead the money will go back into engineering. If this bill passes, there will be a public information campaign and a warning period for drivers before any tickets are sent out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
