Senate Bill No. 391–Senators Nolan, Rhoads, Schneider, Shaffer and Washington

 

March 17, 2003

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Joint Sponsors: Assemblymen Atkinson, Geddes, Hardy, Horne, McCleary, Mortenson and Weber

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Referred to Committee on Finance

 

SUMMARY—Provides for stipends and payment of costs of postage for Legislators under certain circumstances. (BDR 17‑949)

 

FISCAL NOTE:  Effect on Local Government: No.

                           Effect on the State: Yes.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to the State Legislature; providing for the payment from the Legislative Fund of a stipend to a Legislator if the income of the Legislator was reduced as the result
of the service of the Legislator during a regular session of the Legislature; providing for the payment by the Legislative Counsel Bureau of the cost of postage for mailing copies of certain written communications from a Legislator to his constituents; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1  Section 1.  Chapter 218 of NRS is hereby amended by adding

1-2  thereto the provisions set forth as sections 2 and 3 of this act.

1-3  Sec. 2.  1.  Each Legislator is entitled to receive a stipend

1-4  pursuant to this section for each regular session of the Legislature

1-5  if the Legislator demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Director of

1-6  the Legislative Counsel Bureau that the income of the Legislator

2-1  was reduced as the result of the service of the Legislator during

2-2  the regular session.

2-3  2.  The amount of the stipend is equal to the amount of the

2-4  reduction in income of the Legislator, except that no stipend may

2-5  exceed $20,000 for any regular session.

2-6  3.  A Legislator who wishes to receive a stipend pursuant to

2-7  this section must request the stipend by submitting a written

2-8  application to the Director on or before June 30 of the year next

2-9  following the regular session for which the stipend is requested.

2-10  The application must be made on a form provided by the Director

2-11  for that purpose and must be accompanied by a copy of such

2-12  information as the Director requires to enable him to determine

2-13  the eligibility of the Legislator for a stipend and the amount of the

2-14  stipend to which the Legislator is entitled. The information that

2-15  the Director may require includes, without limitation, copies of the

2-16  relevant federal tax returns and paycheck stubs of the Legislator.

2-17      4.  If the Director, after reviewing the application and

2-18  accompanying information submitted by a Legislator, determines

2-19  that the Legislator is entitled to a stipend pursuant to this section,

2-20  the Director shall cause the stipend to be paid to the Legislator

2-21  from the Legislative Fund.

2-22      Sec. 3.  1.  Each Legislator may:

2-23      (a) Submit to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau

2-24  once during each legislative interim a written communication

2-25  which provides information to or seeks input from the constituents

2-26  of the Legislator concerning issues that may be relevant to them;

2-27  and

2-28      (b) Request that copies of the written communication provided

2-29  by the Legislator and addressed to his constituents be mailed by

2-30  the Legislative Counsel Bureau to the addressees.

2-31      2.  The form of the written communication may include,

2-32  without limitation, a letter, pamphlet or brochure.

2-33      3.  The written communication must not include a solicitation

2-34  for a campaign contribution or in any other manner be directly

2-35  related to a political campaign of the Legislator.

2-36      4.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 5, the Director,

2-37  upon receiving a written communication that meets the criteria

2-38  established by this section and a request for mailing, shall affix

2-39  the required postage to each copy of the written communication

2-40  provided by the Legislator and deposit the copies in the United

2-41  States mail.

2-42      5.  The cost of postage for mailing the copies of the written

2-43  communication must be borne by the Legislative Counsel Bureau,

2-44  except that the Legislative Counsel Bureau shall not pay any cost

2-45  of the postage that exceeds $6,000. If the Director determines that

3-1  the cost of the postage will exceed $6,000, he shall so inform the

3-2  Legislator and the Legislator shall:

3-3  (a) Remit to the Legislative Counsel Bureau the amount of the

3-4  postage that exceeds $6,000;

3-5  (b) Instruct the Director to limit the number of copies of the

3-6  written communication that are mailed so that the cost of the

3-7  postage does not exceed $6,000; or

3-8  (c) Withdraw his request for the mailing of the copies of the

3-9  written communication.

3-10      Sec. 4.  1.  This section and sections 1 and 3 of this act

3-11  become effective on October 1, 2003.

3-12      2.  Section 2 of this act becomes effective on January 1, 2007.

 

3-13  H