LEGISLATIVE BRIEFS

• Nevada lawmakers rather than the state Ethics Commission would handle any complaints against an Assembly or Senate member alleging an improper vote, under terms of a bill approved Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill 160 would make each house of the Legislature the final arbiter of whether lawmakers' votes, vote abstentions or disclosures concerning their ability to vote on the Assembly or Senate floor or in committee violated any ethical standards.

The measure, which got swift treatment in Judiciary following its introduction on Wednesday, now moves to the Senate floor. From there, it goes to the Assembly for final legislative action.

• Backers of a Nevada plan to allow no-warrant seizures of funds on prepaid debit cards in efforts to spot terrorists and drug dealers produced amendments Thursday but still faced criticism about the plan's constitutionality.

Jim Earl, executive director of the Nevada Technological Crime Advisory Board, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the proposed revisions to Senate Bill 82 sought to meet the constitutional concerns.

Under SB82, police with probable cause to believe a prepaid card was linked to criminals could freeze the funds on the card account for up to 10 days, until a warrant is obtained from a judge, or even seize the funds without a warrant in certain cases.

But Lee Rowland of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada referring to abuses under the federal Patriot Act, called SB82 the "Nevada Electronic Patriot Act." She said it's not that difficult for authorities to get a warrant from a judge.