Time To Go Back To Work
By: Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President
With the 2011 Nevada Legislative session safely in the rear-view mirror and the recovery process of dealing with the process nearly complete – It’s time to get back to a more regular schedule, including the use of this communications tool. For those who might have missed the normal posting schedule, I apologize (although some might have also welcomed the nearly six-week vacation and found better use of their time than reviewing these ramblings). Regardless, it’s time to get back to doing, looking forward always to the feedback, responses and discussions which come from the exchanges…
2011 Nevada Legislative Wrap-Up
The best description or theme of the 2011 Nevada Legislature (at least from the perspective of a lobbyist representing Nevada farmers and ranchers) – “we’re very grateful for all the things that didn’t get done.” Having spent every-other-year, since 1989, going through this process, I don’t recall a session where the emphasis was as heavy on keeping bad ideas from becoming law.
Certainly, those who proposed the ideas probably didn’t view them as being “bad”, but for those who don’t see government as the only route for advancement – keeping those proposals from gaining approval was a high priority.
Along the way, minor elements of reform were planted (at least in the critical area of Nevada’s educational arena). Ideally, these toe-holds will serve as the beginning steps to further improvements going forward.
Governor Sandoval
As an advocate for not increasing taxes, there are some misgivings to the final adoption of the non-ending for the taxes scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2011. Throughout the majority of the 76th session, Governor Sandoval’s steadfast adherence to the campaign pledge of not adding further burdens to the private sector was a very effective safeguard against the planned exploitation of those who can’t get government big enough.
The Supreme Court’s ruling against the Legislature’s earlier raids on funds raised for other purposes, set the stage for the eventual end result for 2011’s session. It also will play a big part of the planning state spending for the future…especially given the approach of using a $626 Million-something patch to fill an actual hole of $62 Million. The precedent set by this session will be even more significant on a going forward basis than it was for this year.
In more recent developments, we can’t help but note the excellent work the Governor is doing, using his veto pen to deal with some of the bad ideas that got through the legislative session. A couple of the specific examples, vetoed recently:
AB 578: This idea surfaced in the process very late in the session, possibly part of the hide-the-idea strategy which also was used with the majority party’s game plan for increasing taxes. When this legislation was brought forward the “hearing” opportunity before the Assembly Legislative Operations Committee was anything but an open forum providing for public engagement. The allegations against the bill (suggesting that it was part of the plan to structure the system for an annual, on-going legislative process) seems plausible from the approach offered. Limiting assignments for committee members to only those legislators who were members of the Assembly and Senate committees for the session would have established a restrictive and narrowed mind-set likely to have done more to hard-wire agendas (for good or bad).
AB 416: Although the public policy of putting NV Energy ratepayers on the hook for the company’s investment of alternative energy transmission infrastructure is questionable in its own regard – the stench of the way the legislative system was manipulated (designed to avoid public input) with a last-minute, 25-page amendment should have brought about the veto that Governor Sandoval correctly applied.
With the 2011 Nevada Legislative session safely in the rear-view mirror and the recovery process of dealing with the process nearly complete – It’s time to get back to a more regular schedule, including the use of this communications tool. For those who might have missed the normal posting schedule, I apologize (although some might have also welcomed the nearly six-week vacation and found better use of their time than reviewing these ramblings). Regardless, it’s time to get back to doing, looking forward always to the feedback, responses and discussions which come from the exchanges…
2011 Nevada Legislative Wrap-Up
The best description or theme of the 2011 Nevada Legislature (at least from the perspective of a lobbyist representing Nevada farmers and ranchers) – “we’re very grateful for all the things that didn’t get done.” Having spent every-other-year, since 1989, going through this process, I don’t recall a session where the emphasis was as heavy on keeping bad ideas from becoming law.
Certainly, those who proposed the ideas probably didn’t view them as being “bad”, but for those who don’t see government as the only route for advancement – keeping those proposals from gaining approval was a high priority.
Along the way, minor elements of reform were planted (at least in the critical area of Nevada’s educational arena). Ideally, these toe-holds will serve as the beginning steps to further improvements going forward.
Governor Sandoval
As an advocate for not increasing taxes, there are some misgivings to the final adoption of the non-ending for the taxes scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2011. Throughout the majority of the 76th session, Governor Sandoval’s steadfast adherence to the campaign pledge of not adding further burdens to the private sector was a very effective safeguard against the planned exploitation of those who can’t get government big enough.
The Supreme Court’s ruling against the Legislature’s earlier raids on funds raised for other purposes, set the stage for the eventual end result for 2011’s session. It also will play a big part of the planning state spending for the future…especially given the approach of using a $626 Million-something patch to fill an actual hole of $62 Million. The precedent set by this session will be even more significant on a going forward basis than it was for this year.
In more recent developments, we can’t help but note the excellent work the Governor is doing, using his veto pen to deal with some of the bad ideas that got through the legislative session. A couple of the specific examples, vetoed recently:
AB 578: This idea surfaced in the process very late in the session, possibly part of the hide-the-idea strategy which also was used with the majority party’s game plan for increasing taxes. When this legislation was brought forward the “hearing” opportunity before the Assembly Legislative Operations Committee was anything but an open forum providing for public engagement. The allegations against the bill (suggesting that it was part of the plan to structure the system for an annual, on-going legislative process) seems plausible from the approach offered. Limiting assignments for committee members to only those legislators who were members of the Assembly and Senate committees for the session would have established a restrictive and narrowed mind-set likely to have done more to hard-wire agendas (for good or bad).
AB 416: Although the public policy of putting NV Energy ratepayers on the hook for the company’s investment of alternative energy transmission infrastructure is questionable in its own regard – the stench of the way the legislative system was manipulated (designed to avoid public input) with a last-minute, 25-page amendment should have brought about the veto that Governor Sandoval correctly applied.
Posted by Doug Busselman at 6/18/2011 8:15 AM 
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: 2011 Nevada Legislature Nevada
Categories: 2011 Nevada Legislature
Tags: 2011 Nevada Legislature Nevada
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