Legislature

CARSON CITY – Nevada has a new weapon in the fight against problem gambling.
A five-year strategic plan to provide treatment to the state’s problem gamblers took effect July 1.

Are "the people's" Constitutional rights to elect our representatives being ignored by the secretary of state, the Nevada Legislature and the courts? The U.S. Constitution clearly states that the "...

CARSON CITY –The state office created to help guide Nevadans through the complex maze of health care billing and access to care has a new director starting tomorrow.
Marilyn Wills has been named director of the Office of Consumer Health Assistance by Mike Willden, director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

CARSON CITY – Attorneys for the state Democrat and Republican parties argued their cases Tuesday before the Nevada Supreme Court over whether they should pick their candidates for the special election to fill the vacant 2nd Congressional District seat, or whether it should be a “ballot royale.”

CARSON CITY – Nevada has the 18th lowest taxpayer burden to cover unfunded public employee pension and health care costs among the states, but policy makers are still failing to adequately address the shortfall, a national organization reported in a new comprehensive analysis.

Assemblyman Pete Livermore talks about the recently concluded session of the Nevada Legislature.

CARSON CITY – A conservative Nevada think tank gave passing scores to 22 Republicans in the just-concluded 2011 legislative session, handing out failing scores to four other GOP lawmakers and all 37 Democrats in a report card released today.

Effective July 1, Nevada counties will be responsible for a dozen programs currently operated by the state - either by taking them over or paying the state to continue running them.But with litt...

A friend of mine commented recently, "The Legislature and the governor have kicked the can down the road again, and this time they're tearing up the road." She's right.Some believe the governor and...

Carson City Chamber of Commerce presents "State of the City" featuring Mayor Robert Crowell, Supervisor & Redevelopment Chair Shelly Aldean, Sheriff Kenny Furlong and School Board President Joanna Wilson on Wednesday, June 29 at the Gold Dust West.

If you live or work in Carson City, this will be an important luncheon meeting for you to assess how we will fare during this next fiscal year.

You will learn how Carson City has managed to maintain its equilibrium during these economic times. You will learn what challenges the legislature has posed on the taxpayer, if any.

The governor and 2011 Legislature have created a commission to review and seek out redundant and unnecessary boards and commissions.But a review of existing law shows that commission itself, is red...

The 2011 Legislative Session is now history. Given the extremely difficult financial conditions facing state government, the Legislature spent most of its time dealing with budget and funding issue...

The 2011 Legislative Session is now history. Given the extremely difficult financial conditions facing state government, the Legislature spent most of its time dealing with budget and funding issue...

SPARKS — Former Republican Party of Nevada Chairman Mark Amodei yesterday blew out the competition and became his party’s nominee for the 2nd congressional district special election on Sept. 13.
Amodei needed 162 of 323 member votes to win. He pulled in 221 votes compared to state Sen. Greg Brower who earned 56 votes and retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold who received 46 votes.

CARSON CITY – On deadline day for Gov. Brian Sandoval to act on the remaining bills from the 2011 legislative session, measures extending existing taxes for two more years, authorizing the creation of a toll road around Boulder City and banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving were all approved.

RENO – For the three leading Republican candidates seeking the Congressional District 2 seat vacated with the appointment of Dean Heller to the U.S. Senate, it was all about qualifications and experience in a debate held here Wednesday.
State Republican Party Chairman Mark Amodei, a former state senator, state Sen. Greg Brower, appointed to fill the seat formerly held by retired Sen. Bill Raggio, and retired Navy commander Kirk Lippold, faced off ahead of a GOP meeting Saturday in Sparks that could determine which candidate will get the party nod.

CARSON CITY – The Humane Society of the United States says Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Legislature enacted several important measures to strengthen Nevada’s protections for animals in the just-ended 2011 session.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has vetoed two more pieces of legislation send to his desk by the Nevada Legislature.Senate Bill 207, he said, provides the Labor Commissioner with duplicative and unnecessary a...

Kudos and a tip of the hat to the members of the 176th Legislative Session that grappled with a horrendous amount of issues of which the budget was the showstopper, with redistricting playing secon...

Kudos and a tip of the hat to the members of the 176th Legislative Session that grappled with a horrendous amount of issues of which the budget was the showstopper, with redistricting playing secon...

Last week, I wrote about how the pressures of the final hours of the Nevada Legislature result in lots of bad lawmaking. Today, Anjeanette Damon details some really odious bits of sausage making, including a measure to benefit NV Energy that could cost rate payers $1 billion.

This episode supports the contention that the 120-day session limit makes for very bad legislating. Limiting the number of days the Legislature meets does not limit the mischief that can cause. It simply gives the lobbyists and inside wheeler-dealers all the power, while shutting out the public.

State employees will see some significant changes to their pay and benefits from the budget approved by the Legislature and Gov. Brian Sandoval.Dale Erquiaga, senior policy adviser to the govern...

Although the biennial budget deal agreed upon by the Legislature and governor will result in rigorous budget cuts for Western Nevada College, its Fallon campus will be spared downsizing or even clo...

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranks 6th among the states in a new index generated by the Mercatus Center called “Freedom in the 50 States, An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom.”

CARSON CITY – Some GOP lawmakers say a bill introduced late in the just-ended 2011 session appears to be an attempt to move the Nevada Legislature more toward a full-time operation in the period in-between the biennial sessions.
Republican lawmakers critical of Assembly Bill 578 also say it would limit participation on interim policy panels by many of the 63 state lawmakers.

Following the end of the 2011 Legislature, my friend and political pundit Steve Sebelius wrote the following:"That brings us to the Americans for Tax Reform pledge overseen most vigorously in Nevad...

Gov. Brian Sandoval Thursday issued a statement further ensuring that redistricting for legislative and congressional seats will be handled in the Nevada Supreme Court."As the Legislature has now a...

After four months of heated debate in the Nevada Legislature and down-to-the-wire votes in the early morning hours Tuesday, the dust is finally settling around a $2.2 billion K-12 schools budget an...

The bill that would pull Nevada out of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency compact was approved Tuesday morning just minutes before adjournment of the Assembly.The vote was 28-14 to give final legis...

Halls that Monday were full with lobbyists, legislators, reporters and staff echoed beneath the footsteps of a lone committee secretary Tuesday.Those who weren't already on their way back to the...