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May 26, 2023

Special session looms after GOP blocks budget bill; A's stadium, film tax credits quietly stall

Legislators deciding things in a hallway Monday night. (Photo: April Corbin

Legislators deciding things in a hallway Monday night. (Photo: April Corbin Girnus)

The stroke of midnight arrived without the stroke of Gov. Joe Lombardo's pen signing a key state budget bill. Now, the Legislature will be forced to hold a special session, possibly as early as Tuesday, in order to pass a balanced state budget as constitutionally required.

And two high profile proposals – one to subsidize a baseball stadium for the A's, and another to subsidize film production companies – both failed to advance.

By the mandatory sine die adjournment at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Assembly Bill 521 (known as the Capital Improvements Program) had not even made it to the governor's desk. Instead, it died in the Legislature's upper chamber after being voted down by Senate Republicans roughly half an hour before the deadline.

The CIP bill requires a two-thirds majority to pass because it involves renewing existing taxes.

"My colleagues and I are taking a stand," said Senate Minority Leader Heidi Seevers Gansert (R-Reno) in a floor statement before announcing that the caucus would not vote for the bill. "We are resolved. We are doubly resolved to stay here as long as necessary…"

Seevers Gansert said the minority party was growing "weary and frustrated" after being "ignored" by Democratic legislative leaders. She announced she had given the Democrats a list of priorities, including "three important issues" — capital funding for charter schools, more graduate medical education, and "pay equity" for charter school teachers and support staff.

The charter school teacher pay equity issue stems from Democratic-backed legislation like Senate Bill 231, which creates a $250 million matching state fund which school districts can tap to fund teacher and support staff pay raises. The majority of the state's charter schools would not be eligible as they are not part of a formal school district. SB 231 over the weekend passed both houses with widespread bipartisan support — only Assemblyman Richard McArthur (R-Las Vegas) voted against it — but Republicans noted their concern about the exclusion of charter schools. The bill was listed as procedurally in transit to the governor's desk, as of early Tuesday.

Republicans have long been proponents of charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately managed schools. Charter schools do not receive dedicated funds for their buildings and pay for their rent or leases through the per-pupil dollars they receive from the state's K-12 education fund.

"Our request is reasonable," said Seevers Gansert. "Their answer can be very, very easy."

Lombardo in a statement released shortly after the end of the regular legislative session, said he was conferring with legislative leadership: "I anticipate calling a special legislative session in the morning. I will issue a proclamation to outline agenda items for the special session when finalized."

The governor in his proclamation for a special session must outline what issues are to be addressed, and the Legislature is limited to acting only on those issues. Most special sessions are limited to 20 days, though most are considerably shorter.

The imminent special session will be the state's 34th.

Previous sessions have ranged from one day (in 2013, most recently) to 27 days (in 2003).

In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro said her Republican colleagues "chose politics" over people and accused them of "wasting time and taxpayer dollars to relitigate partisan disputes instead of working with us in the best interests of Nevadans."

She continued, "It's disappointing, but we won't back down from fighting for ordinary people who deserve a state government that works for them."

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager canceled a press conference he’d previously scheduled for after sine die. His staff told members of the media the speaker had "matters" to attend to. Yeager later told 8NewsNow he’d spoken to Lombardo and the special session would only address the CIP and charter school teacher pay.

Where some key bills wound up after the regular session wrapped

The constitutionally mandated state budget wasn't the only thing Nevada state lawmakers failed to get past the finish line on Monday.

The $380 million public assistance package for the construction of a new baseball stadium to house the Oakland's A's fell apart behind closed doors Monday. Senate Bill 509 was never voted out of committee.

A proposal to commit upwards of $4 billion in public assistance over two decades to film companies like Sony Entertainment that invested in building out production studios in Southern Nevada also unceremoniously died Monday. Senate Bill 496 was never voted out of committee.

Here's a quick rundown of some key legislation and where it wound up:

by April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current June 6, 2023

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April Corbin Girnus is an award-winning journalist with a decade of media experience. A stickler about municipal boundary lines, April enjoys teaching people about unincorporated Clark County. She grew up in Sunrise Manor and currently resides in Paradise with her husband, three children and one mutt.