legislature

Opinion: Brown and Legislature need to address pension reform

Nevada Governor says Ruling On Arizona Immigration Law Shows Need For Federal Reform

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said Monday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Arizona immigration law case points out the need for Congress and the president to come together and reform the country’s immigration laws.

Nevada Business Margin Tax Initiative Petition Filed, Legal Challenge Expected

CARSON CITY – A business margin tax initiative petition filed with the Secretary of State’s office won’t see signature gathering efforts start right away because a legal challenge to the proposal is expected, a teachers union official said today.

Proposed Nevada business profits tax to support public education expected to be filed

CARSON CITY – A proposal seeking to implement a business profits tax in Nevada to support public education will be filed with the Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday.
Supported by the state teachers union and the AFL-CIO, if the groups can collect 72,352 signatures by November 13, the issue of taxes will be dumped squarely in the laps of state lawmakers in 2013.

Memorial Saturday for legendary broadcaster, hellraiser and satirist Travus T. Hipp

Services for legendary radio commentator Travus T. Hipp will be held this Saturday, May 26, in Silver City. Hipp died early Friday morning, May 18, at his Silver City home. He was 75, as old as the Golden Gate Bridge in his beloved San Francisco.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 26, in Silver City. Gathering, gnoshing and remembering will begin at the Silver City Community Center, 385 High Street, at 10:00 a.m. Food and refreshments will be provided. Those who wish may bring more.

Survey Of Nevada Lawmakers, Candidates Shows Continued Support for Transparency

CARSON CITY — Sixty state lawmakers and legislative candidates who responded to a survey on government transparency largely favor new laws requiring the Legislature to follow the Open Meeting Law and mandating expanded reporting of spending on legislators by lobbyists.

Political Science: The ongoing sandbox civil war at Lake Tahoe

Policy and science “link up all the time” says Leo Drozdoff, Nevada secretary of conservation and natural resources. Drozdoff, along with John Laird, California secretary of natural resources, discussed issues on environmental policies of Lake Tahoe at a recent UNR seminar. The men spoke mostly on the logistics of protecting Lake Tahoe between two states, to which Nevada contributes one-third of the budget, with the other two-thirds the responsibility of California.

Governor Sandoval: No New Taxes

LAS VEGAS — Gov. Brian Sandoval today told conservative business group Keystone Corporation that his decision to support a two-year extension of taxes that were scheduled to expire eliminates the need for any new taxes to balance the state budget.

Purchase Of ‘Air Time’ Not Frequent But Some Nevada Lawmakers Want to Review

CARSON CITY – A little-known benefit of Nevada’s public employee pension plan is the right to purchase up to five years of service towards retirement.
Referred to by some as “air time,” or the ability to add years of retirement without actually putting in the time in a public sector job, the benefit can allow state and local government workers to retire early, collecting annual pensions years before they would be eligible otherwise.

Report: Nevada Ranks In Top 20 For Economic Competitiveness

Nevada’s polices of low taxes and small government ranked it 18th among states in its ability to compete and grow its economy, according to a report released today by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Haldan Art Gallery welcomes Great Basin Exteriors: A Photographic Survey

Lake Tahoe Community College’s Haldan Art Gallery is the next stop for the Nevada Arts Council’s traveling exhibition program. There will be an artists’ reception April 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Great Basin Exteriors: A Photographic Survey.”

No additional judge in Douglas County East Fork Justice Court

The caseload at the East Fork Township in Douglas County does not require an additional judge at this time, Justice of the Peace Tom Perkins has decided.
The announcement was made public in a news release sent Monday.
State law requires that an additional judge be added to the township when it reaches 34,000 in population. According to Nevada's demographer, the population of East Fork Township is 39,907. In a letter written to the Legislative Counsel Bureau, Judge Perkins said:

Impacts of term limits to shake up status quo in Nevada Legislature

Nevada Governor to Extend Sunsetting Taxes Into Next Two-Year Budget To Avoid Education Cuts

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval said today he will propose to extend a package of taxes now set to expire in June 2013 into the next budget to avoid further cuts to education, which he said cannot withstand further reductions.
To maintain a basically flat spending plan for the two-year budget that will begin on July 1, 2013, Sandoval said the modified business tax that was maintained at a higher rate for large businesses in the 2011 legislative session, along with a small increase in the sales tax, must be continued.

Home-Based Businesses License Fee Approved By Nevada Legislative Panel

CARSON CITY – A regulation requiring thousands of home-based businesses to pay a $200 annual fee won approval today from a legislative panel.
Secretary of State Ross Miller has been trying to get the regulation approved for several months, but has seen the regulation stymied by strong opposition from some Nevada residents and Republican lawmakers who argued the regulation exceeded his authority.

Medical marijuana supporters taking cause to Legislature, not voters

Nevada's longest serving senator Bill Raggio Dies at 85

Nevada's longest serving senator, retired senator Bill Raggio has died. He was 85. Raggio died at 10 p.m. Thursday night while vacationing in Sydney, Australia. The cause was reported as death due to respritory illness. The death was first reported by Face-to-Face host Jon Ralston.

Nevada To see Up To 33 cents on the dollar from $50 million Lehman Brothers 2008 loss

CARSON CITY – The state Board of Finance was told today that Nevada now expects to receive between 30 and 33 cents on the dollar in recovery from a $50 million investment loss when Lehman Brothers unexpectedly filed for bankruptcy in September 2008.
Nevada state Treasurer Kate Marshall said the state initially expected only 10 to 11 cents on the dollar when the firm filed for bankruptcy protection during the height of the nation’s financial crisis.

Group Calls On Nation’s Governors To Freeze Benefit Pension Plans For Public Workers

CARSON CITY – A national nonprofit organization seeking fundamental reforms to state budgeting today sent a letter to the nation’s governors urging them to follow General Motors’ lead and freeze defined benefit pensions for all public employees.

Wage, construction defect laws hamper job growth says Nevada business group

CARSON CITY – Members of the Nevada chapter of a small business organization say the state’s minimum wage and construction defects laws are hampering job growth in the state.
The state’s prevailing wage law was also cited as a drag on economic development in the survey of its members by the Nevada chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.

Nevada Governor Unveils Economic Plan; Calls For 50,000 New Jobs By The End Of 2014

RENO — Gov. Brian Sandoval used the University of Nevada, Reno on Tuesday as a backdrop to unveil his economic development plan, and he challenged the business community and all partners to work to create 50,000 new jobs by the end of 2014.

Bill would give lawmakers control of court budgets

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - The state Assembly on Monday narrowly approved legislation that would return control of California's $3 billion court budget to the Legislature, stripping some authority f...

State Treasurer’s Office OKs New Nevada Capital Investment Program

CARSON CITY — Treasurer Kate Marshall announced today that a request for proposals for a manager to oversee a new investment program using up to $50 million from the state Permanent School Fund has been issued by the Nevada Capital Investment Corporation (NCIC) Board of Directors.

Lawmaker Review Of 45-Year-Old Nevada Public Education Funding Plan Hits Financial Roadblock

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers today began a review of the state’s 45-year-old formula for funding public education with an eye towards addressing the needs of the state’s urban districts as they work to educate special education students, English-language learners and children in poverty.

The panel is still searching for funding for a study to help in the review, however. The failure to find private funding for a study could jeopardize any meaningful review in this interim, lawmakers were told.

Legislature stops GOP override of state parks bill

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Republican lawmakers on Thursday failed to override Gov. Jerry Brown's veto of a bill that would have allowed local governments to take over the operations of state parks forced t...

1 man’s campaign to upend Nevada’s tax structure

By Michael Squires, Las Vegas Sun A Las Vegas attorney will launch a legal and political effort this week aimed at establishing and funding a parallel state budget, beyond the reach of the Legislature and governor. Kermitt Waters seeks to place on the November ballot a proposed constitutional amendment calling for a sweeping overhaul of Nevada’s tax [...]

Humane Society Ranks Nevada 30th In Animal Protection

CARSON CITY — Nevada ranked 30th among the states in how it protects animals in 2011, scoring only 25 points out of a possible 66, The Humane Society of the United States said in a national report released Tuesday.

Nevada Job Creation Efforts Move Forward With New Economic Development Office

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Efforts by Gov. Brian Sandoval and state lawmakers to encourage new business creation, relocation and expansion in Nevada took a major step forward today when the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee approved nearly $3.5 million to fund a new economic development office.

Three Nevada Pearl Harbor Survivors Honored At Capitol Ceremony On 70th Anniversary

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY — Gov. Brian Sandoval honored three Pearl Harbor survivors today on the 70th anniversary of the attack that brought the United States into World War II.

Economic Diversification Report Provides Roadmap For Nevada Job Creation

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A report outlining how Nevada can grow and diversify its economy says much more could be done now in the areas of health and medical services, and that clean energy and aerospace/defense are emerging sectors that could bring skilled jobs to the state.

South Lake Tahoe jail set to get more crowded

By Heather Gould
As of October 1, nine new inmates have been incarcerated in the El Dorado County jail who would have previously gone to state prison. With the state short of funds and under a court mandate to relieve overcrowding in its state prisons, those committing non-violent, non-serious and non-sex offenses will be housed in county jails rather than state prisons under a program dubbed "realignment."

Nevada Panel Begins Work On Creating Uniform Education Data Reporting System

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – It’s hard to know how well Nevada’s public school and college students are doing if there is no uniform and reliable data to view their performance over time.
Gov. Brian Sandoval is working to change that.

Nevada Governor Calls For Reassessment Of Homeland Security Funding Priorities

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today called for a reassessment of Nevada’s homeland security priorities given the news that federal funding for the ongoing fight against terrorism could be as much as 47 percent less in the 2012 federal fiscal year compared to last year.

Report: Nevada Public Pension Liabilities Vastly Understated

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Nevada’s public employee pension system is one of the better funded plans around the country, but its financial health is far poorer than taxpayers may realize because of the way the long-term liabilities are calculated, a new analysis released Wednesday says.

Nevada GOP opposes high court redistricting position

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Attorneys for the Nevada Republican Party filed a brief on Monday with the Nevada Supreme Court opposing Secretary of State Ross Miller’s emergency petition seeking to intervene on the question of the authority of the courts to decide the state’s political boundaries instead of the Legislature.

Tahoe Transportation District blog: Nevada cracks down on behind the wheel cell use

Just in case you didn’t know, Nevada Highway Patrol began enforcing the state’s new distracted driving law that bans motorists from texting and using hand-held cellphones while driving, Oct. 1.

Cell phone law: Nevada motorists to get warnings beginning Oct. 1

Here is a reminder from the Nevada Department of Transportation about the handheld cell phone use law, passed this spring by the Nevada Legislature. Officers will begin issuing warnings beginning Oct. 1. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2012. It is already illegal to drive while talking on the phone or texting in California.

Sept. 30 deadline for Tahoe Resource Conservation District board application

The Tahoe Resource Conservation District is seeking a board member to serve a four year term on its five-member board.
“Tahoe RCD plays a vital role in preserving and restoring natural resources in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” said Director Dave Roberts in a press release from the organization. “We rely heavily on our Board to help direct our efforts and connect us with resources, stakeholders and current issues within the community,” 

Sandoval, Legislative Leaders, Make Appointments To Economic Development Board

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
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.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Misleading article distorts truth

TahoeDailyTribune.com published an article on Aug. 30 titled "Babysitting bill in Calif. Legislature," supplied by Sen. Doug LaMalfa that read like a news item. It was a highly misleading character...

Babysitting bill in Calif. Legislature

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - How will parents react when they find out they will be expected to provide workers' compensation benefits, rest and meal breaks and paid vacation time for...babysitters? Dinner...

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