Legislature

Some quick facts about lobbying the Nevada Legislature you might not know, as relayed during lobbyist training last week:
— It’s against the law for lobbyists to make false statements or “misrepresentations of facts” to a lawmaker.
— Lawmakers can’t ask to have a “young sexy assistant” bring up a bill. That could be sexual harassment.

The Mayor of Carson City was the guest at this week's meeting of the Carson City Men's Club. Per prior agreement he did not give a prepared speech, and after a glowing introduction that gave a brief highlight of his impressive history of accomplishments, he fielded questions from his audience.

Carson City School District Superintendent Richard Stokes was among four non-voting members appointed Monday by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval to the State Board of Education. Two voting members were also appointed — Stavan Corbett of Clark County and Freeman Holbrook of Washoe County.

“Today’s appointments are the next steps in reforming the governance of K-12 education in our state, a process I began during the 2011 Legislative session,” Gov. Sandoval said. “Working to deliver the best education to our state’s children must be our highest priority.”

Leadership at the state's highest court will change Jan. 5 when Chief Justice Michael A. Cherry ends his term and Justice Kristina Pickering begins the administrative role of Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court.

Pickering will represent Nevada’s courts at the 2013 Nevada Legislature and will give the State of the Judiciary address to lawmakers early in the session. She will serve as Chief Justice until January 2014.

Mile High Jazz Band performs at Comma Coffee Jan. 8 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Comma Coffee is located at 312 S. Carson Street. This performance will feature jazz vocalist Sheryl Adams. Comma Coffee is across the street from the State Legislature building in Carson City. General admission is $5 at the door, and free for age 18 and under. Go here for more information.

The Mile High Jazz Band performs at Comma Coffee from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Comma Coffee, 312 S. Carson Street, is across the street from the state legislature building in Carson City. General admission is $5 at the door, and free for age 18 and under. Go here for more information.

Now here is a story that SHOULD make your blood boil, especially because for some reason the story “hit” on Christmas Eve.

Pension Politics: California system plays hard ball in court – Opinion – ReviewJournal.com
http://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/pension-politics-california-system-...

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today announced he has appointed Elaine Wynn to the state Board of Education, effective January 8, 2013.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today released budget data that had been sought by state lawmakers after a weeks-long disagreement over whether the information was public.

CARSON CITY – Nevada State Medical Association President Florence Jameson said today that Gov. Brian Sandoval made a “politically courageous and correct” policy decision to expand the Nevada Medicaid program.

The decision will ensure that there will not be a new class of uninsured Nevadans when the federal health coverage changes are implemented in January 2014, said Jameson, a physician.

CARSON CITY – State Senate Republican leaders today commended GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval’s decision to expand the state Medicaid program as a commitment to the health of all Nevadans and a boost for a critical sector of the state’s economy.

“Ensuring that poor Nevadans have access to primary health care through Medicaid is very simply the right thing to do, both for our citizens and our economy,” said Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Henderson. “It will reduce our rate of uninsured and provide individuals with greater economic security.”

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today announced he will include 78,000 additional people in Nevada’s Medicaid program as provided for under the federal Affordable Care Act.

“Though I have never liked the Affordable Care Act because of the individual mandate it places on citizens, the increased burden on businesses and concerns about access to health care, the law has been upheld by the Supreme Court,” he said in a statement. “As such, I am forced to accept it as today’s reality and I have decided to expand Nevada’s Medicaid coverage.

CARSON CITY – A newly elected Republican state lawmaker plans to push forward with a bill next session to allow students and others with permits to carry concealed weapons on the campuses of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R- Las Vegas, elected to Assembly District 4 in November, has submitted a bill draft request to prepare a measure for consideration in the 2013 legislative session.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada State Democratic Party today said Gov. Brian Sandoval should immediately disclose state agency budget requests to the Legislature and public.

Some state lawmakers expressed concern at an Interim Finance Committee meeting in October that the Sandoval administration had not provided them with information about state agency requests over and above their base budget requests, known as “items for special consideration.”

Attorneys for the teachers association and state business interests faced off before the Nevada Supreme Court today over whether a proposed margins tax initiative petition has met legal requirements and so should be submitted to the 2013 Legislature.

Orientation has begun at the Nevada Legislature — not just for the 13 “true freshmen” facing their first endurance test that is a 120-day legislative session, but also for the caucus leaders, who will each be leading their caucuses for the first time.
On Wednesday, three new leaders took their first shot at imparting wisdom to the incoming freshmen in brief speeches that also offered a glimpse into their nascent leadership styles.

CARSON CITY - At a time when right-wing politicians are crying about the rise of socialism in America, the Nevada Legislature is moving in the opposite direction: It is poised to prohibit job discrimination against communists.
How could the state approve such a law in the first place? America has had socialists such as Eugene V. Debs and communists such as Gus Hall run for president multiple times. Back in 1905, nine Nevada state legislators were socialists.

As a matter of law, the Nevada state constitution requires a balanced budget. As a matter of economic law and history, raising taxes will never balance a budget. It never has and never will. If a budget cannot be balanced without tax increases, it will never be balanced afterwards. The reason is simple, raising taxes decreases tax revenues and strangles growth. Many Nevada taxpayers believe that our legislators seek to redistribute our tax dollars to buy votes or political power rather than serve the public good.

CARSON CITY – The long-term unfunded liability of Nevada’s public employee retirement plan improved slightly in fiscal year 2012, up to 71 percent fully funded from 70.2 percent in the previous year, a state official said today.

The plan saw the modest improvement even though the return on investment for the fiscal year was only 2.9 percent. The small gain came after a record 21 percent investment gain in 2011.

When it comes to winning elections, it is important for a candidate to belong to the party with the voter registration advantage. It is more important to have enough money to outspend your opponent.

I told you so, again and again for four years. OK, so Obama did not cancel the elections; he did one better, he put the veneer of the "will of the people" on it. Voting is the best revenge...? He never had to say, against whom.

CARSON CITY – The 63-member Nevada Legislature will see quite a few new faces when it convenes Feb. 4, including 11 members in the Assembly and 10 members in the Senate, although several newly elected state senators have moved up from the Assembly.

CARSON CITY – A majority of Nevada voters on Tuesday approved a measure sought by some state lawmakers that will now allow them to call a special session of the Legislature on “extraordinary occasions.”

The vote in support of the constitutional amendment was 54 percent to 46 percent opposed.

CARSON CITY – The precincts have been walked, the issues debated and the media campaigns run. Now many Nevada voters will get to weigh in on five critical races to determine whether Republicans or Democrats will control the state Senate after the polls close tomorrow.

The 21-member Senate currently has an 11-10 Democratic edge.

Gov. Brian Sandoval and many of his Republican colleagues are working to change this by winning at least four of five of the races in play between the two parties on Election Day tomorrow.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today his administration has fully complied with a requirement in state law to provide preliminary state budget data to lawmakers and their staff.

“The agency requests have been presented to the Legislature in accordance with the law,” he said. “I don’t see any problems.”

CARSON CITY – A dispute has emerged between Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Legislature over what information in the initial state agency request budget should be made available to legislative staff and the public.

At a meeting of the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee today, state Budget Director Jeff Mohlenkamp was asked about what is considered by legislative staff to be a departure from past practice regarding the budget information provided to legislative fiscal staff and the public.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada State Prison Preservation Society is now accepting memberships from people who want to be among the early pioneers of an effort to create a museum and tours of the state’s oldest prison.
Anyone interested in joining NSPPS is encouraged to attend a general-membership meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 in the Ormsby Room of the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, 911 E. Musser St., Carson City.

CARSON CITY – A Carson City District Judge today ruled an initiative petition being circulated by teachers to levy a 2 percent tax on companies making gross revenues in excess of $1 million a year to raise money to support public education is invalid.

In his ruling, Judge James Wilson found that the description of effect used to explain to voters the intent of the petition is incomplete.

On Tuesday, October 16, 2012 the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security held its quarterly meeting in Carson City. Gov. Brian Sandoval, chairman of the Homeland Security Commission, along with 16 commission members tackled a lengthy agenda, including committee updates, recommendations and implementation of new processes.
 

An issues and candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters will be at 6 p.m. tonight, Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Carson City Library Auditorium. There will be a presentation by candidates for Assembly District 40; candidates for the school board and a discussion on the merits of Nevada's Ballot Question 1 that, if passed, would change the state's constitution and allow the Legislature to bring itself into special session.