Big trouble in little Carson City

A cheat sheet for the 2005 Legislature

By Geoff Schumacher

The average Nevadan could survive the next four months without devoting three seconds to pondering what the state Legislature is doing in Carson City. A lot of you will do exactly that, opting for more engrossing pursuits such as mastering Halo 2 or shopping for killer deals on rakes and garden hoses at Wal-Mart.

But where's your sense of adventure? Don't you know that political junkies have more fun? The state Legislature is a spectator sport that's at least as interesting as Major League Baseball, and you even get to participate if you want.

And despite Nevada's thriving economy, lawmakers have an array of pressing issues to tackle this session, most of them centered on issues originating in Las Vegas--and many of them having an actual impact on the lives of real people. That's you.

If you plan to play along starting Monday, here are a few basics you should know:

• The state Senate has a Republican majority, while the Assembly has a Democratic majority. This means that if a progressive-minded bill passes the Assembly, it's not necessarily going to make it through the Senate. The reverse is also true: A conservative Senate measure might not see the light of day in the Assembly. That said, pragmatism usually trumps ideology in Carson City.

• Gov. Kenny Guinn is a Republican, but he's a big spender, so the right-wingers in the legislative branch don't take any orders from him. At the same time, it would be a stretch to say he's a trusted friend of Democrats. As a result, Guinn may set the table for the Legislature, but he's not generally a major player during the feast.

• Some key legislators will seek a higher-than-usual profile this session because they plan to run for governor in 2006. Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus and Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, both Southern Nevada Democrats, will try extra hard to look gubernatorial as they conduct business and speak to the press.

• The Legislature meets for about four months, but historically, the big decisions aren't made until the last few days. That doesn't mean the debates early in the session aren`t interesting or important but the final flurry is definitely where the bareknuckle action is.

• By state law, the Legislature has only 120 days to do its business. It's not much time to get everything done, though Nevada lawmakers are notorious for dawdling in the early part of the session. Last year, because of the tax increase impasse, the Legislature had to hold two special sessions after the 120-day period to get things done. They won't want a repeat of that debacle this year, but with several major issues on the table, you never know.

• You can make a difference. Your representatives sequestered in little ol' Carson City will be looking for guidance from their constituents. They will feel isolated and crave feedback from the homefront. Send them e-mails (it's easy to get their addresses) on the issues that matter to you. You might be surprised to see your thoughts find their way into committee debates and legislation.

Here are 10 of the more interesting issues the 2005 Legislature will deal with:

1. DMV rebate

Guinn, sitting on a $320 million state budget surplus, wants to give it back to you and me in the form of a car registration rebate. People with new, nice vehicles would get the maximum--$300--while those with older vehicles would get less. Bus riders and others who don't drive would get nothing. Fair? Of course not. Besides, some lawmakers argue that the surplus would be better spent on education and mental health care. Don't spend that rebate check just yet, because there will be a pitched battle over this one.

2. Property taxes

State lawmakers from both parties generally believe rising property taxes are the most pressing issue on their 2005 agenda. They're not. But nevertheless the issue will get front-burner attention as legislators cobble together some kind of relief for angry Las Vegans who saw their property values skyrocket in 2004 and are now seeing corresponding increases in their property taxes. It's interesting that conservatives bow before the almighty free market but want to manipulate that same market when they don't like the results. Guinn doesn't have a solution of his own--he's punted the issue to the Legislature--but he's eager to hear what the lawmakers come up with. Already, legislators have introduced 14 different bills on the issue, proposing freezes, caps and rollbacks galore. At the very least, the Legislature will provide relief for seniors living on fixed incomes.

3. Teachers and state workers

The teachers union and state employees association will be out in force at the Legislative Building, working against Gov. Kenny Guinn on two issues: pay raises and retirement health benefits. While Guinn has offered an ambitious $5.7 billion spending plan for the next two years, he would boost other programs by offering teachers and state workers (including university staff) a measly 2 percent pay hike each year. Also, he has proposed cutting retirement health insurance benefits for new state workers. Guinn, a former school district superintendent, likes to think of himself as a big education guy, but he doesn't see a connection between properly funding schools and paying teachers for their vital work. The teachers will be angry and loud in the capital. Meanwhile, state workers will argue that while Nevada retirement health benefits are very generous, eliminating them for new hires would make it harder for the state to recruit good employees. Guinn's retirement proposal, which has some support, could stall in the face of bipartisan opposition.

4. Millennium Scholarships

Guinn wants to bail out the Millennium Scholarship program with $100 million in bonds tied to the unclaimed property fund. The program needs help for two main reasons: 1) more kids than expected are taking advantage of the college money and 2) its primary funding source, the global tobacco settlement, isn't providing as much money as expected because fewer people are smoking. These are good problems to have, but $100 million is always going to be a lot of money for the Nevada Legislature. To go along with the funding, lawmakers are likely to approve some stiffer rules to reduce the number of students who are eligible for the scholarships and to make sure they do well in college if they want to continue receiving them.

5. Affordable housing

Guinn has an innovative solution to the growing inability of working people in Las Vegas to afford to buy a house: The state would acquire land parcels from the federal government at little or no cost. Developers would build houses or condos on the land, which would remain in a state trust. People purchasing these homes would pay only for the structure, not the land, reducing prices by $50,000 or more. Some conservative legislators, naturally, are throwing cold water on Guinn's plan, suggesting that if the almighty Free Market doesn't want us to have houses that teachers and nurses can afford, well, we just won't have them. But with skyrocketing home prices in Las Vegas and thousands of people still moving to town every month, a majority of lawmakers is likely to feel compelled to enact some kind of affordable housing initiative. Guinn's scheme is so crazy is just might work.

6. Mental health

Guinn is proposing to inject almost $100 million into state mental health programs. Even Sen. Bob Beers, a Las Vegas fiscal conservative, has said the state needs to significantly increase its commitment in this area. Mentally ill patients have jammed Las Vegas area emergency rooms, leading to long waits for everybody who goes to them for medical attention. A state mental hospital breaks ground next month in Las Vegas, but it won't be ready until 2006. In the meantime, triage and crisis centers are desperately needed to relieve the emergency rooms--but Guinn's budget boost doesn't include them. Interesting side note: The biggest advocate of solving Southern Nevada's mental health crisis is Democratic Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie--of Reno.

7. Minimum wage

Democratic leaders will push for a $1 increase in the state minimum wage, from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour. The Democrats want this to be a one-time hike to take effect this year. It would be separate from the constitutional amendment that Nevada voters passed overwhelmingly last year to do the same thing. The amendment must pass another statewide vote in 2006 to take effect. The Democratic proposal likely will garner the governor's support but will face opposition from business groups such as the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

8. Canadian drugs

Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, is pushing a bill to establish a state website where citizens could order cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. The state also could order cheaper Canadian drugs in bulk for prisoners. Five other states and four cities already have such programs, using a loophole in federal rules that allows the sales. The Bush administration, which sides with the giant pharmaceutical companies, could try to crack down on states and cities that do this.

9. State lottery

Democrats have proposed a state lottery to fund education. They estimate a lottery could generate up to $50 million a year for textbooks and class-size reduction efforts. While a lottery might receive popular support--41 states already have one--it is barred by the Nevada Constitution and in the past has been actively fought by the casino industry, so Democrats face an uphill battle. More philosophical questions, such as the fact that lotteries prey disproportionately on low-income people, probably won't play much of a role in this debate.

10. Compulsive gambling and suicide prevention

Guinn has proposed $100,000 for compulsive gambling treatment. Nevada, the world's gambling epicenter, has not taken good care of people who become addicted to gambling and ruin their lives and those of loved ones in the process. A similar allocation did not pass in the 2001 and 2003 legislative sessions. If the 2005 Legislature does not make this modest allocation--or perhaps a higher amount--a top priority, its members should hang their heads in shame. Especially since the gaming industry reportedly has vowed to match or exceed the state's financial commitment.

In a similar vein, the governor has proposed $300,000 for suicide prevention efforts. Nevada has a very high suicide rate and does a dismal job of trying to prevent these tragedies, as a recent Mercury cover story explained ["Hanging by a Thread," Dec. 16]. This amount should be automatic for a state enjoying a booming economy and a huge budget surplus.

Beyond the top 10

• The fuse is already burning on fireworks between Guinn and university system Chancellor Jim Rogers over higher education funding. Rogers isn't satisfied with Guinn's proposed budget for universities and community colleges. He covets at least $47 million of that $300 million budget surplus that Guinn wants to spend on car registration rebates. Rogers would use the extra funding for construction projects at the Community College of Southern Nevada and Desert Research Institute.

• The city of North Las Vegas is spearheading a bill to allow police to use cameras at intersections to ticket motorists who run red lights. Today, the cameras can be used only to monitor traffic trends. The tickets would be mailed to the car's registered owner. If you're sick of people violating basic road rules, you might support this proposal. If you think the cameras would push us one step closer to Big Brother, you might want to voice your disapproval.

• Guinn has proposed to fund full-day kindergarten for at-risk schools. Democrats think all Nevada kids should have full-day kindergarten. The Democrats are right on this one, and Guinn knows it. What gets cut to make it happen is the tough question, however.

• Election reforms are likely to get ample attention. Nevada was not Ohio, but it was not immune from problems in the 2004 presidential faceoff. Look for an effort to tighten up the voter registration process, which was abused by partisan flunkies last year. Legislators also will try to require greater clarity in ballot questions, many of which seem to be written in Chinese.