New Nevada Laws Will Go Into Effect July 1

It's that time of year again. New Nevada laws will go into effect, on Monday, July 1.

They include new laws related to Medicaid coverage including mental health care, new concussion policies for student athletes, and requirements for electronic medical records.

Assembly Bill 65 will require that children in Nevada be enrolled in school by the age of six. The age was previously seven years old. The law also says that potential kindergarteners must be five years old by August 1 of the year of enrollment.

Senate Bill 80 revises policies regarding concussions, or injuries to the head, in Nevada schools. Head injury policies for sports must be required, and parents will have to sign and acknowledge the policies before their student-athletes will be able to participate in any sports.

AB138 Medicaid will include new coverage. For many recipients it will include some mental health treatments like postpartum care, autism, and drug and alcohol treatment. 

AB7 requires certain health information to be filed and transmitted electronically by healthcare facilities, providers, insurers, insurance administrators, and government entities.

Part of the law that already went into effect last year also expanded liability protections for use of technology to share and access a patient’s medical records. Entities that fail to comply could face disciplinary measure.

The Department of Native American Affairs will now house the Nevada Indian Commission and the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum. Both were previously under the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The state has allocated over $500,000 for new staff members and operating costs.

Nevada Mine tours are very popular, and a lot of fun. It's a cool experience - especially in the summer. Though they may not be for everyone.

In Pennsylvania, some tourists got the full experience when they decided to do a mine tour. Probably not the experience they were expecting. But all is well.

54 people got trapped in a coal mine in Lackawanna, Pennsylvania. It took a few hours, but everyone was brought out of the mine safely.

There was some sort of mechanical problem, and they all had to come up through an emergency capsule. The Lackawanna Pennsylvania Coal Mine Foreman, Edmund Neidlinger, said, "I'm here eight years and never had to use it." About 15 years ago they broke an axle on the mine car, and that was the last time they used it.

Neidlinger, controlled the mechanism that lifted the emergency capsule up and down. It only fits about three or four people at a time, so it took about two hours to get everyone out. But they all got out, and everyone is just fine.

It was just a fluke, and there was no danger, The kids on the tour had fun. In fact, so much fun, that they wanted to go back down and do it again! They also got coal from the coal guy down in the mine, so - win, win.

Mine operators say they will figure out what caused the problem, and the mine car will be repaired.

I've done several Nevada mine tour, and they are so interesting. If you're heading to, or live in Nevada, they are a great day trip, or weekend getaway.

If you want to experience a mine tour - without the excitement of getting stuck - there are several to experience in Nevada. And they really represent the history of our great Silver State. Here are some Nevada Mine Tours that are well worth a visit.

They say Eldorado Canyon is probably the oldest, richest and most famous gold mine in Southern Nevada. It ran from 1861 until 1942. Steamboats on the Colorado River were the main way to get there for 40 years. There are mine tours, it is great for photo shoots, and has also been used in movies. It's also a great place to have a wedding! It's a quick day trip from Las Vegas. Two miles past the little town of Nelson, Nevada, on highway 165.

First staked out in 1859, Virginia City’s Chollar Mine was one of the leading producers of gold and silver. It hauled out about $17 million in gold and silver. Virginia City is a really cool place to visit to begin with. A lot of rich Nevada old west history. Many haunted attractions, many just plain fun attractions. And the Chollar Mine historic mine tour is a a really interesting tour.

What better way to do a tour, than doing a saloon first - then going into a mine. Ponderosa Mine tour is only about a half hour long. It features a hundreds of  pieces of equipment on display. Ponderosa Mine has been stabilized and retrofitted to feel like a museum. A unique, and fun tour. Read about its history here.

This is more of a mining park. It has restored mining equipment, historic exhibits, a self-guided tour, and a guided ATV tour. There is small movie theater, and mineral displays that are lit with black lights to enhance the sparkle. There is an underground mine tunnel you can walk down. The Burro Tunnel is definitely not for everyone, but it's quite intriguing! And there is a steel viewing cage that looks down a 500′ foot deep stope. Yes, a stope, not slope.