CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers have passed a gutted version of a public lands bill that was supported by rancher Cliven Bundy but was widely considered unconstitutional.
The Assembly Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining Committee passed AB408 on Thursday, with a handful of Democrats opposed.
The original proposal would require the federal government to obtain permission to use land within the state's borders. The proposal also strips the federal government of state water rights and would allow county commissions to parcel out state land for commercial use.
Nevada's Legislative Counsel Bureau said the bill was unconstitutional.
The rewritten bill deletes core proposals and instead says local sheriffs can enter into an agreement to patrol federal lands. It also states that sheriffs are the primary law enforcement officers in unincorporated parts of their counties.