policy

CARSON CITY – Advocates for a tax hike on cigarettes and liquor made their case in the Nevada Legislature today, both to raise revenue and improve public health.
The proposal received a mixed reaction from lawmakers, and some lobbyist opposition, however, because of the negative consequences on business.

By Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A bill to create a website where Nevadans could learn how to protect themselves from consumer fraud was received favorably today by an Assembly committee.

CARSON CITY – A bill to create a website where Nevadans could learn how to protect themselves from consumer fraud was received favorably today by an Assembly committee.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A bill from Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, would put a cap on fees that state or local governments can charge for public documents.
Assembly Bill 159 would reduce the fee for public records from $1 per page to 10 cents per page.

CARSON CITY – A bill from Assemblyman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, would put a cap on fees that state or local governments can charge for public documents.
Assembly Bill 159 would reduce the fee for public records from $1 per page to 10 cents per page.
In a hearing today, Colleen McCarty from the investigative team at KLAS-TV Channel 8 in Las Vegas said that some agencies can charge “exorbitant” amounts for records.

By Nicoletta Florio / Big George Green Consulting
CARSON CITY — In politics, it is generally considered bad news if a governor is regularly associated with the terms “hot air” and “hot water.” In Nevada however, these associations, according to Governor Brian Sandoval, are easily acceptable.

(Press Release) College campuses in Carson City and Las Vegas will host Nevada's portion of a national unity rally on Monday, April 4, the 43rd anniversary that marks the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The northern Nevada event begins at 4:30 p.m. at Rotary Plaza on the campus of Western Nevada College in Carson City.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Tax revenues, or more specifically the lack thereof, have been topic No. 1 during the 2011 legislative session.
Thus far it’s been mostly talk, with GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval saying no to any new taxes or fees and some Democrat lawmakers saying additional revenues are essential to preserve education and critical social services. Republican lawmakers thus far are standing with the governor.

Press Release — A leading national economic development executive who represents companies looking to relocate or expand throughout the United States, today told a group of more than 100 Reno and Tahoe businesses, community leaders and residents not to abandon current economic development initiatives, but to re-evaluate strategies and continue to fund them for future success.

(Press Release) — Business owners and residents will have an opportunity to participate in an economic development plan update for the Greater Reno and Lake Tahoe region at the Business BUZZ “Beyond Target2010” economic forum, Thursday, March 31 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. The program is sponsored by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN).

CARSON CITY – A legal analysis provided to the skilled nursing home industry regarding a proposed Medicaid rate reduction to cover the cost of caring for Nevada’s seniors says the cuts would be a violation of federal law.
The analysis says the proposed reductions of $20 per Medicaid resident per day are being proposed in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget, “purely as a means to alleviate the budgetary crisis.”

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – An analysis of a cut in Medicaid payments to skilled nursing facilities proposed by Gov. Brian Sandoval paints a sobering picture for the industry and its future in Nevada.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The author of a new analysis of Nevada’s collective bargaining law says the complex rules have worked to the benefit of teachers’ unions rather than students, making reforms essential to improve the state’s public education system.

By the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management-Nevada (BLM) announces the spring meeting of the Sierra Front-Northwestern Great Basin Resource Advisory Council (RAC), which will meet on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 8:00 a.m., at the BLM-Carson City District Office (CCDO), 5665 Morgan Mill Road, Carson City, Nev.

CARSON CITY – Assembly Speaker John Oceguera testified today in support of a bill that would expand health insurance transparency for consumers so they can shop for the best coverage.
Assembly Bill 309, reviewed by the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee, is opposed by many companies offering health insurance in Nevada. Only one insurance representative testified against the bill at the hearing, however.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today signed the first two public policy bills of the 2011 legislative session.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – When it comes to redistricting this year, the line from the Assembly Republicans goes like this: the “fair” process is unfair.
They say the process resulted in gerrymandering in 2001, when the boundaries of political districts were last redrawn.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Teachers who are pursuing a master’s degree will not receive any extra pay for it under Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed budget.

Those currently enrolled teachers may have entered their programs envisioning a pay bump upon graduation. But they made a bet, and the governor’s proposed budget would leave them on the losing side of what has long been regarded as a safe gamble.

CARSON CITY – Teachers who are pursuing a master’s degree will not receive any extra pay for it under Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed budget.
Those currently enrolled teachers may have entered their programs envisioning a pay bump upon graduation. But they made a bet, and the governor’s proposed budget would leave them on the losing side of what has long been regarded as a safe gamble.

Courtesy of GrandViewOutdoors.com
Republican governors and members of Congress vowed Tuesday to fight an Obama administration plan to make millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West eligible for federal wilderness protection. The GOP officials said the plan would circumvent Congress's authority and could be used to declare a vast swath of public land off-limits to oil-and-gas drilling.

CARSON CITY – Lobbyists, legislators and journalists expected to hear about a bill that would increase energy bills for Nevadans when they arrived at a legislative hearing.
Assemblyman Randy Kirner, R-Reno, sat down before the committee, ready to present his bill that would levy a fee on anyone paying an electric bill. That fee would help new businesses pay their energy bills. He designed the bill to attract manufacturing businesses to Nevada with reduced energy costs.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Assemblyman Pat Hickey, R-Reno, says he is interested in changing the state’s tax structure.
He wrote in a weekly newsletter he might consider broadening the state’s tax base, an idea that he has talked about with UNR economics professor Elliott Parker.

CARSON CITY – Teachers could forfeit portions of their salaries awarded for obtaining masters of doctorate degrees under a new proposal.
In what could amount to a pay cut, Gov. Brian Sandoval has proposed eliminating that type of compensation in favor of $20 million in performance pay.

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today elaborated on the details of a bill he is proposing to establish a school voucher system in Nevada.
The proposal would allow parents to receive a state-funded, per pupil subsidy to opt out of public schools in favor of private schools, including religious schools.
The stipend, or voucher, would help families pay expenses at the private schools.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada residents bear the second lowest state and local tax burden of any state at 7.5 percent, behind only Alaska at 6.3 percent, according to a new report from the Washington, D.C.-based Tax Foundation.

By Andrew Doughman/ Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – In certain circles, nothing raises the collective blood pressure like talk of ARRA and the federal stimulus bill.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that President Barack Obama signed into law two years ago has channeled $800 billion to the states in an attempt to jolt the economy to life.

CARSON CITY – It took less than a day before Sen. Elizabeth Halseth had the attention she was looking for.
Tim Crowley, a lobbyist for the mining industry, said he called her this morning to schedule a meeting after she asked in a Tuesday night blog post, “did mining just hit a brick wall?”

By Andrew Doughman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A coffee shop across the street from the Legislature announces “let the games begin.”
With the Legislature in session for less than two weeks, Democratic legislators seem to be playing the game well.

By Andrew Dougman / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevadans denied health insurance for pre-existing conditions are now guaranteed coverage via a federally funded health insurance program.
In the past, it’s been either costly or impossible to find coverage if someone has a health condition requiring frequent or expensive treatment.

From Washington, D.C. to Incline Village, Maureen McCarthy has worked to learn from and protect the environment. Now, her environmental interests have brought her to the Tahoe Science Consortium as the organization’s new executive director.