108 bill draft requests have already been submitted for Nevada's upcoming legislative session, even though the sound of the gavel will not be heard for about seven more months. Some of those BDRs are sponsored by Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, including one that would change the gambling age from 21 to 18 in Nevada.
"Personally, I think if you're old enough to go serve our country, in foreign lands, etc., you're old enough to come to Las Vegas or Reno or Lake Tahoe and have a good time," Wheeler, R-Gardnerville said.
Wheeler says there are some concerns that need to be discussed. Questions include the amount of revenue that could be generated by allowing 18-year-olds to gamble. Input from the Nevada Resort Association and casino owners would be an important part of the process. He says getting more information from gambling addiction experts would also be critical.
"The whole point of putting the BDR in, now, is to engage in some conversation to find out if there is really an appetite out there to lower the gambling age down to 18," Wheeler said.
Another challenge could come in the casinos, where employees would have to keep track of which customers are old enough to drink, and which ones can only gamble.
"Obviously, an 18-year-old is not allowed to drink in this state," Wheeler said. "So, they would have to check IDs but they're probably doing that anyway, to make sure they're of gambling age."
Wheeler is also introducing a bill that would change eligibility for welfare and supportive services. If welfare recipients are physically capable to work and do not have dependents, they would be required to work 20 hours per week for the state, get 20 hours of training per week, or a combination of the two. A similar bill passed in Maine, and Wheeler says it could get more people back to work.
"It seemed to work very, very well in Maine," Wheeler said. "The last numbers I saw, about 18,000 people dropped off their welfare roles when that happened. They went out and got jobs."
Wheeler says the change would incentivize people to go back to work, meaning they would be paying taxes instead of receiving money from the state. It could decrease the need for Medicaid, since some of them would have benefits from their new jobs.
"People don't really want a handout," Wheeler said. "They want a hand up, and no one minds giving people a hand up. They do mind giving a handout. Let's get these people back to work and make Nevada the best state we can make it."
The reason so many BDRs have already been submitted is because of a new law that allows lawmakers to put the requests in before August 1. The reason is to give the legislators a head-start, once the session begins, making better use of the first few weeks of the session.
Other BDRs include a right-to-die bill and one that would allow people to smoke marijuana in public places like concerts. Another aims to change the name of McCarran International Airport to Harry Reid International Airport.Â
The 2017 Legislative Session begins February 6, and hundreds more BDRs will be submitted by then.
