EDITORIAL: Laws, laws and more laws

It was 19th-century attorney and editor Gideon J. Tucker who wrote in 1866 that, “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” Have truer words ever been put to paper?

Nevadans are fortunate to receive regular reprieves thanks to a Legislature that is constitutionally restricted to 120-day sessions every two years. Yet even that constraint is routinely ignored by various “interim” legislative panels that meet while lawmakers are supposed to be out of session.

In addition, Nevada lawmakers are already busy requesting scores of new bills even though they don’t reconvene in Carson City for seven months. Needless to say, the impulse to meddle in every aspect of human activity remains embedded in the very fiber of a great many elected officials, particularly of the Democratic persuasion.

In there a human endeavor that might escape the attention of those we elect to represent us? Not if the bill-draft request list for the 2027 Legislature is any indication. More than 100 potential pieces of legislation have already been proposed — and that number will likely increase tenfold in the coming months.

State statutes allow Assembly members up to 10 bill drafts, while state senators receive 20. Members of the leadership may request even more. Many lawmakers are already nearing their allocation. The requests typically include few details, only the basic topic. But the scope of the subject matter is exceedingly broad.

For instance, state Sen. Michelee Cruz-Crawford, D-Las Vegas, has eight pending bill drafts that touch on health care, education, business entities, housing and the Nevada National Guard. State Sen. Marilyn Dondero-Loop, another Las Vegas Democrat, proposes six laws that relate to health, optometry, education and foster care. Republican state Sen. Lisa Krasner offers eight proposals that deal with insurance, special license plates, crimes, graduate medical education, sex trafficking and election integrity.

Other subjects covered by pending bill drafts include interscholastic activities, reproductive health, economic development, environment justice, homeowners associations, legislative records (oh, no!), annuities, transferable tax credits, single-sex spaces, the safety of children, dental insurance, energy, magnet schools, automation, daylight saving time, vehicle signage, the observance of time, transportation, commerce, prevailing wages, privacy, labor, consumer protection and behavioral health.

Finally, Assemblywoman Bert Gurr, R-Spring Creek, seeks to designate the elderberry as Nevada’s official state fruit.

Is it any wonder that recent sessions have ended in chaos as lawmakers dawdle on less pressing matters for much of the session, pushing more important debates to the final days with the clock ticking? That could be avoided with better majority leadership. But stricter limits on lawmaker bill drafts would also help.

Better yet if some enterprising lawmaker in Carson City proposed legislation requiring legislators to submit two existing laws for repeal in return for every new bill they propose.