Sandoval vetoes four more bills, signs 24 others

CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval again took out his stamp and vetoed four more bills over the weekend, while signing 24 others, including one to prevent minors from using tanning equipment and another that prohibits horse tripping.

His most controversial vetoer was of Assembly 441, which would have allowed voter registrars to set up special polling places near major work places where people could vote on Election Day, rather than going to their precinct polling place. Every Democrat backed the bill, while every Republican opposed it.

The Democrat thinking was having the additional polling places might increase turnout, particularly among Strip workers who might have to work long hours on Election Day. Higher turnout generally is considered to help Democratic candidates more than Republican candidates.

But Republican Sandoval noted people already can participate in early voting at various places during the two weeks before the election. They also can vote on at least one Saturday during early voting and, consequently, have sufficient options to vote when it is more convenient, he said.

The signing of the bill prohibiting the use of tanning devices by people under 18 is surprising because the Legislature has rejected similar measures for more than a decade.

MINORS CANNOT USE TANNING BOOTHS

Senate Bill 267 not only prohibits underage tanning but also calls for fines of at least $250 on operators who allow such tanning. Parents also can sue in court the owners of tanning businesses that allow their children to tan — and receive judgments of $500 and more, pus attorney fees.

Also, trained workers must be on hand during the hours the equipment is in use and clean the equipment after each use.

The fear is that too much tanning will cause skin cancer. Research shows the skin of teenagers is more susceptible to cancer than adults and that teens generally think a good tan means they are healthy. A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found one-third of teens do not take adequate precautions when in the sun.

Sen. Joyce Woodhouse, D-Henderson, introduced the tanning bill. She is a retired schoolteacher.

Every Assembly Republican and Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, voted against the bill. But Sandoval, who frequently signs bills opposed by most Assembly Republicans, is the father of both a teenage son and daughter.

Sandoval also vetoed Assemblywoman Lucy Flores’ Assembly Bill 126 that would have required restaurants with 15 or more locations to post calorie and nutrition information. The governor said the bill is not necessary because the Federal Drug Administration soon will publish regulations to require such information be posted at restaurants with 20 or more locations.

In addition, he vetoed Senate Bill 457, which would have allowed voting by wards for council members in Henderson, Reno, Sparks and Carson City. In his veto message, Sandoval noted Reno voters overwhelming rejected ward voting and Henderson and the other cities opposed it, too.

And he vetoed Senate Bill 373, which would have changed the debtor judgment law, reducing the percentage of income of people must give up in credit judgments. The governor said debtors already have “significant protection” against unreasonable judgments. Under current law, 75 percent of a debtor’s income, if it is $40,000 or less, cannot be taken in a judgment. The bill would have raised that to 85 percent.

With the four vetoes, Sandoval now has vetoed seven bills passed during the just adjourned Legislature. That is a long way from the 28 he vetoed in the 2011 session and the record 48 Gov. Jim Gibbons vetoed in 2009. Gibbons donated his veto stamp for display in the State Museum in Carson City after that session.

Among the bills Sandoval signed were:

—Assembly Bill 54 that allows justice courts to impose an additional $8 fee in court proceedings to cover costs of law libraries.

—Assembly Bill 377 that expands the law that prevents people in positions of authority, teachers and school volunteers from having sex with students in the schools where they work. Now they also are prohibited from having sex with students from other schools or with whom they come in contract with during the course of their work or volunteerism.

—Senate Bill 72 that outlaws “horse tripping.” But the law specifies that horse tripping does not include catching a horse by the legs and then releasing it as part of a horse roping event that has been authorized by local governments.

The bill, sought by Sen. Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, drew some of the biggest crowds of the session, including cowboys from Mexican rodeos. Some critics complained about Mexican rodeos and released a videotape of one conducted in Winnemucca. The cowboys said the horses were not harmed.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.