A Legislature at Work, Or

The Art of Doing Next to Nothing with Great Fanfare

The Nevada Legislature, that noble body of men and women who gather biennially to solve problems nobody has, has turned its mighty intellect toward smog checks. Senate Bill 230, an act of bipartisan genius, would spare the good citizens of Clark and Washoe counties the arduous task of an annual emissions test, reducing the burden to once every two years. The bill, co-sponsored by Democrat James Ohrenschall and Republican John Steinbeck, will no doubt be remembered as one of the great legislative triumphs of our time—at least by those who enjoy the fine sport of avoiding the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Under current law, rural Nevadans already enjoy the luxury of biennial smog checks, as hybrids remain blissfully exempt until their sixth model year, and vehicles older than 1967 are free to smoke like a chimney with the state’s blessing. The bill, in short, corrects the great inequity of some citizens having to endure more bureaucratic tedium than others—a cause as worthy as any ever taken up in Carson City.

But lest you think the esteemed legislators of Nevada are resting on their laurels, be assured that more works are in the pipeline. Senate Bill 228 proposes a Pediatric Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplant Program, with the state generously offering up $7 million in taxpayer funding to launch the effort and another $2.5 million to cover the first handful of transplants.

A noble cause, to be sure, though one suspects that by the time the money trickles through the various agencies, committees, and well-fed consultants, a sick child might be better off buying a raffle ticket.

Meanwhile, in the hallowed halls of the Assembly, AB41 seeks to rectify a matter of utmost urgency—the appointment of a deputy adjutant general for the Nevada Guard. Since no funding or additional personnel are needed, there is no apparent reason why it ain’t already happened. But in the fine tradition of government, what could be accomplished with a handshake and a memo will instead be legislated with all the pomp and circumstance that taxpayers have come to expect from their diligent representatives.

Thus, the gears of democracy grind on, ensuring that life in Nevada is ever so slightly altered, but never in a way that might inconvenience a legislator.