LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Supporters of a bill aimed at safeguarding animal welfare expressed disappointment on Friday when Assembly Bill 381, named “Reba’s Law” by Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy, R-Clark County, failed to advance out of committee.
Hardy had been advocating for the bill since a tragic incident involving a bulldog named Reba, who was cruelly left in a storage container during the scorching summer heat in Las Vegas last July.
Reba was rescued from the bin but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries shortly after.
Hardy had been diligently working on the legislation up until Thursday, the day before a critical legislative deadline.
However, when the Assembly Judiciary Committee met on Friday, the bill was notably absent from the agenda.
After the committee concluded its business, Chair Brittney Miller, D-Clark County, adjourned the meeting, leaving Hardy and her supporters despondent.
Over the weekend, animal activists demanded that the bill be brought back to life, threatening to vote out committee members who had opposed it.
To everyone’s surprise, when lawmakers returned on Monday, they found that a waiver had been granted for the bill, allowing it to bypass the deadline for consideration.
This exception to the rules required the approval of both Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro.
A Democratic caucus spokesman later confirmed that Yeager had sought the waiver after discussions with Miller and Assembly Judiciary Vice Chair Elaine Marzola, D-Clark County.
In a show of bipartisan support, Yeager also signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill.
During a hearing on Monday, Miller reassured the public that no one voted against the bill, although she noted that numerous last-minute amendments had caused uncertainty about the votes needed for passage.
“We all oppose acts of animal cruelty,” said Miller.
Hardy, on the other hand, expressed confidence that with the right votes, her bill would have passed if it had been voted on Friday.
Grateful for the sustained support for Reba’s Law, Hardy cautioned her supporters that the journey is far from over.
“It’s a miracle that we’re here today, and I just, you know, ask the public, everybody that’s been involved to don’t let go because it’s not over,” she emphasized.
Following the committee’s approval of the bill, the next step is a vote by the full Assembly.
If passed, it will then proceed to the state Senate, where it will be reviewed by the Judiciary Committee, chaired by co-sponsor Sen. Melanie Scheible, D-Clark County.
Only after passing through both legislative chambers can the bill reach Gov. Joe Lombardo for final approval.
Waivers are typically rare, as established under Rule No. 14.5 of the Assembly-Senate concurrent resolution, which outlines the legislative session’s rules.
This rule permits lawmakers to request waivers for certain deadlines, but such measures need the consent of both Yeager and Cannizzaro.
This structure is essential for ensuring that the Legislature can complete its work within the constitutionally mandated 120-day session, which includes deadlines for introducing and approving bills.
Friday marked the cutoff for bills to pass out of committee in their originating house.
Legislative deadlines necessitate that Assembly and Senate bills transition between houses while adhering to strict timeline requirements, including another committee passage deadline later in May.
The final, non-waivable deadline arrives at midnight on the 120th day, which falls on June 2 this year, at which point any bills that have not been passed by both houses will be lost.
This ultimate deadline is colloquially known as “sine die,” meaning adjourning without a set date to reconvene until the next legislative session.
Exceptions exist, allowing bills that have died earlier in the process to be resurrected as amendments, while other bills nearing the session’s conclusion can be altered to include the text of defunct measures.
The final days of each session are characterized by frenetic activity, with last-minute amendments approved by huddled lawmakers as midnight approaches.
Legislative veterans often remind newcomers that nothing in Carson City is truly dead until the gavel falls at the end of the session, underscoring the uncertainties and dynamics of Capitol proceedings.
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