Wages and dogs: Legislature faces busy third week

CARSON CITY — There will be no three-day Presidents Day weekend for Nevada lawmakers who will plow through the third week of the 2015 session discussing wine, dancing, pooches in bars — and some serious stuff, too, that promises intense debate.

The Senate could vote on a Republican-backed measure to exempt school and university construction projects from the prevailing wage law.

Senate Bill 119, sponsored by Republican Sens. Ben Kieckhefer of Reno and Becky Harris of Las Vegas, angered Democrats because it combined a bipartisan effort to allow school districts to roll over bonds for school construction with the divisive issue of prevailing wages.

Republicans long have argued that union shops artificially inflate prevailing wages that are set by the state labor commissioner for public works projects.

During a hearing before the Senate Government Affairs Committee, Kieckhefer said eliminating the requirement would stretch taxpayer dollars and allow more schools to be built.

Democrats and labor groups argue the law helps ensure quality workmanship.

The bill was voted out of committee last week in unusually rapid speed and could be voted on by the Senate as early as today.

The mood will be less tense, even jolly, in other committee hearings scheduled.

If Senate Bill 105 becomes law, don’t be surprised if the bar stool next to you turns out to be a real dog. Literally. The measure sponsored by Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, would authorize the owner or operator of a stand-alone bar, tavern or saloon to permit dogs, a practice particularly common in Nevada’s rural areas. That bill is up for a hearing today before the Senate Government Affairs Committee.

The Assembly Government Affairs Committee will be debating do-si-dos, promenades and half shashays — fancy footwork for square dancing. Assembly Bill 123, to be heard Wednesday, would designate the square dance as the official dance of Nevada.

Economic development is the focus of a bill to allow wineries in Nevada’s two largest population centers, Clark and Washoe counties. Assembly Bill 4, sponsored by Assemblyman Pat Hickey, R-Reno, would remove a prohibition against wineries in those two counties.

Hickey says it’s all about economic development. Existing law bans the sale of wine made in Nevada counties with populations of 100,000 or more. Hickey has said removing the barrier would allow an expansion of Nevada’s growing wine-making industry.

Money committees also will be busy throughout the week, with hearings scheduled on the K-12 main budget, the Distributive School Account, prisons and Medicaid.

The pace of the 2015 Legislature has been uncharacteristically quick during the first two weeks, and the tempo is about to pick up as deadlines approach.

Today is the deadline, with some exceptions, for committees to request bill draft requests.

The regular session ends at midnight June 1.

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter.