Legislature

CARSON CITY – A report from the Tax Foundation on unemployment insurance taxes says 34 states have had to borrow $37 billion from the federal government to pay jobless benefits, and employers around the country face the prospect of higher tax rates as a result.

The Occupy Carson City rally has begun in front of the Nevada Legislature on Carson Street. The event is being held in conjunction with Occupy events in nearly 951 cities in 82 different countries, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York.

At least 70 people have gathered today for Occupy Carson City. The rally is in front of the Nevada State Legislature and will last through 1 p.m. Today's gathering is a part of a larger Global Day of Protest for the entire movement, designed to communicate the message that 99 percent of Americans are unified in their demand for government policies and laws to that benefit citizens instead of corporations.
Occupy Carson City is being monitored by the American Civil Liberties Union.

CARSON CITY – The three special masters appointed by Carson City District Judge James Todd Russell to redraw Nevada’s political boundaries wasted no time on the charge, filing their report and proposed maps with the court today.

Occupy Carson City rally is scheduled for Saturday October 15th. We will meet at Comma Coffee at 10:30 AM, and the rally will take place across the street in front of the Nevada State Legislature from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Bring your signs! You are the 99%!

Carson City has made its first payments to the state to cover assessments ordered by the Legislature and governor despite objections to the decision to shift costs to the local levels for those pro...

The Board of Examiners approved restrictions Tuesday on state workers' ability to contract for other employment.The changes to the State Administrative Manual were ordered by the Legislature after ...

CARSON CITY – The business of drawing new political boundaries will now get under way by three court-appointed special masters following two days of public hearings on what Nevada’s legislative and congressional districts should look like for the next decade.
The clock is ticking.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Supreme Court today issued an order instructing Secretary of State Ross Miller to supplement the petition filed by his office earlier this week asking the court to intervene in the redistricting issue now in Carson City District Court.

CARSON CITY – Last week it was a dispute about the Small Business Jobs Act and whether it will create any jobs in Nevada that generated controversy between the two major party candidates for the U.S. Senate.

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranks well overall in an analysis by the nonpartisan State Budget Solutions of spending trends over the past decade, coming in 12th in the review of how states have managed their money in times of growth and recession.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) this month formally approved the Nevada Firearms Coalition (NFC) as its new, officially sanctioned state association in Nevada.
The group is a registered nonprofit Nevada corporation and according to its website is dedicated “to the ownership and safe use of firearms for self-defense, competition, recreation and hunting.”

CARSON CITY – Scott Beaulier is no fan of states borrowing money, but in his new working paper on transitioning public pensions to 401(k) style plans to reduce taxpayer liabilities to pay retirement benefits, the Troy University professor says it is an option worth considering.

For the first time in 10 years, states cut taxes more than they increased them, according to a preliminary report released last week by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
But voters should not draw hasty conclusions about what this means for states’ fiscal health. Most states continued to face substantial budget shortfalls during their 2011 legislative sessions, even though some states saw revenue collections increase.

CARSON CITY – Racial gerrymandering, fracturing, packing, nesting – a three-hour hearing today in Carson City District Court over how to draw Nevada’s new political boundaries was full of arcane concepts and obscure terminology.
The much anticipated ruling from Judge James Todd Russell on guidelines for drawing those new districts will have major ramifications, however, for the state’s voters and its two major political parties.

CARSON CITY – Nevada State Engineer Jason King today announced additional locations for public comment during the upcoming Southern Nevada Water Authority water-rights hearings.

CARSON CITY – Nevadans are more pessimistic now about the state of the economy than they have been since early 2010, according to the most recent poll commissioned by the Retail Association of Nevada.

CARSON CITY – As Nevada policy makers get set to examine the state’s public employee pension plan in advance of the 2013 legislative session, a new report from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence offers some timely advice on how other government agencies have accomplished the difficult task.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative leaders today announced their appointments to the new Economic Development Board, which will focus on job creation and economic diversification.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today state officials will meet with Clark and Washoe county representatives who are seeking nearly $124 million in refunds from the state – before deciding if litigation is necessary.
Sandoval, attending a meeting of the Board of Examiners, said afterward that Nevadans expect their elected officials to talk over disputes to see if they can be resolved before resorting to the courts.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval has named Frank Woodbeck as director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Woodbeck will begin his new job Oct. 3
“Mr. Woodbeck is somebody that I came to know given his activities with economic development,” Sandoval said. “I believe that it is very important going forward that there be an alignment between DETR, the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, and economic development, and he has a unique skill set in that regard.”

CARSON CITY – So how much are Nevada taxpayers shelling out to educate children attending the state’s 17 public school districts this year?
And if the answer is not easy to ascertain, is it time to consider revising the 44-year old Nevada Plan, the admittedly complex formula used by the Legislature every two years to fund public education?

CARSON CITY – Fourth Estaters and members of the public interested in the esoteric world of political campaign contribution and expense reports should be salivating with the knowledge that as of Jan. 1, this information will finally be available in a usable format.
Secretary of State Ross Miller said that as a result of campaign finance reporting reforms he sought and the Legislature approved this past session, the contributions candidates receive and the expenditures they make on their campaigns will soon be much more transparent.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today he is making big strides in his top priority of improving the Nevada economy and growing jobs.
Sandoval said he has been making calls to businesses interested in relocating to the state and is getting ready to launch a newly revised economic development board to help the state turn the economic corner.

CARSON CITY – Nevada legislative leaders have selected Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, and Assemblyman William Horne, D-Las Vegas, to serve as nonvoting members of the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security.
Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, last week selected Lee to serve on the panel, which meets quarterly to hear updates on Nevada’s efforts to deal with homeland security issues.

Nevada consumers and small businesses can now review and comment on rate hikes in their health insurance policies online.

Nevada lawmakers today approved money to cover the costs of the upcoming special election, received an update on the progress of the state’s health care insurance exchange and complained repeatedly that state agencies were thumbing their noses at the legislative process.

A legislative subcommittee decided yesterday to cut or delay several building and maintenance projects due to budget constraints. The Interim Finance Committee (IFC) today will vote whether to approve the recommendations made by the subcommittee.

School just started and every Republican state lawmaker has already received a failing grade from Nevada’s teachers’ union.
The Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) has released its 2011 legislative session report card and the 16 Assembly and 11 Senate Republicans all earned an F, according to the statewide association.