Media group honors Care, Buckley for legislative efforts

The Nevada Press Association named state lawmakers Barbara Buckley and Terry Care "First Amendment Champions" for their legislative efforts on behalf of free speech and the public's right to know, said Barry Smith, executive director of the Nevada Press Association.

The awards were presented Saturday night at the Nevada Press Association awards ceremony in Reno.

Care, a Democrat representing a Las Vegas district in the state Senate, was given the award for two pieces of legislation.

The first, SB13, which failed, would have restricted local governments from enacting or enforcing laws that regulate carrying signs on public sidewalks.

The second, SB123, which passed, requires governments to make public records available to citizens for review or copying within five business days of the request or provide a response to the request explaining why it won't be made available.

Both pieces of legislation for which Assembly Speaker Buckley, D-Las Vegas, was honored passed.

The first, AB433, requires the state Tax Commission to conduct all its business in public except when it hears "proprietary or confidential" information from taxpayers appealing a tax bill.

The second, AB261, requires child welfare agencies to release more information about children who have died or were critically injured as a result of abuse or neglect.