One Last Bout of #NVLeg Drama (from @GovSandoval)

So it's over. It's finally over. After a shocking 27th special session, the Nevada Legislature finally adjourned sine die.

Yet with that being said, the drama isn't completely over yet. After all, all these bills now sit at Governor Brian Sandoval's (R) desk.



He's expected to sign his budget. After all, he got over 90% of what he wanted there. We the People will have to wait until next year to change that (but at least we will finally have the opportunity then).

Governor Sandoval is also expected to sign SB 123 (aka NVision) into law very soon. After all, that's also his bill. And ultimately, a final twist from Warren Buffett added to the overwhelming bipartisan momentum pushing NV Energy's plan to ditch coal and invest in renewable energy (and some natural gas) over the finish line

However, there's been more intrigue surrounding other bills. For one, there's SB 374. Governor Sandoval had been playing coy on what he'd do to the bill authorizing medical marijuana dispensaries. But now, various media outlets are reporting he will sign the bill into law. And considering the broad bipartisan backing of this proposal to allow for medical marijuana dispensaries, this isn't too much of a surprise.

And then, there's SB 221. The (background checks) gun safety bill finally passed after a bout of last minute drama. But now, Governor Brian Sandoval continues threatening a veto. Never mind that 86% of Nevadans have supported expanding background checks for gun purchases. Never mind that 72% of Nevadans have specifically said they want SB 221 to become law. And never mind that this bill and this policy can actually save many Nevadans' lives. In the coming hours, he will make the final call on whether the NRA's seal of approval matters more to him than saving Nevadans' lives.

And then, there's the result of the $25,000 27th special session. But of course, Governor Sandoval will sign those bills into law. After all, he approved the $25,000 27th special session just before the @ss crack of dawn just so those bills could finally pass!

So, today may finally be sine die for #NVLeg... But we await one last bout of legislative drama from Governor Sandoval's office. Good times... (Or not.)

Finally, Sine Die.

Well, that was fast, This morning, we were shocked to see the 27th special session of the Nevada Legislature convene. But now, we have this from the Secretary of the Senate.

NVSecSenate: The Senate stands adjourned Sine Die. This time we mean it. #nvleg

So what happened during the just over two hours of special session? The Sun's Anjeanette Damon & Andrew Doughman have the details.

“The bill failed and public safety is extremely important in Clark County,” Sandoval said of his decision to call a special session. “The crime rate has gone up. This was an extremely important bill for the people of Clark County.” [...]

The measure, which authorizes the Clark County Commission to raise the sales tax by .15 percentage points to hire more police officers, wasn’t the only bill on the special session agenda.

Lawmakers also were asked to divert $2 million to the Millennium Scholarship from Sandoval’s failed effort to fund Teach for America, a nonprofit that recruits teachers for at-risk schools.

An economic development bill worth millions in tax incentives to draw new and expanding businesses to the state also was considered. And two education bills-- one to change the management of the state’s charter schools account and another on class-size reduction--rounded out the agenda. [...]


The Teach For America bill, however, would’ve failed in the Assembly and a charter school bill died in the Ways and Means committee, said chairwoman Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas.

“That bill did not have a hearing in Ways and Means,” she said. “We didn’t support it.”

The Assembly ended up throwing its support to the charter school bill in the special session and an agreement was brokered with Sandoval to divert the Teach for America money to the Millennium Scholarship.

In the end, #NVLeg finally passed the Clark County police surtax, the latest education grand bargain, and the economic development bills. So now, it's sine die... For real.

We'll have more on the #NVLeg #77 fallout later soon. But in the mean time, we finally reached sine die. And this time, it's sine die.

Special Session?! (Yes, We're Going to Overtime.)

It's over now. Wait... It's supposed to be over now. Isn't it? Isn't it... WHAT?!





I know I wasn't the only one who was shocked to wake up to the 27th special session of the Nevada Legislature. But alas, it's now here. And Governor Brian Sandoval (R) has already been cooking up schemes to try to take advantage of this.

The special session proclamation arrived just before 4 a.m., directing legislators to convene at 4:30 a.m. and end at 8 a.m. to consider five bills.

Perhaps the most significant measure to die at midnight was Assembly Bill 496, which would have allowed the Clark County Commission to raise taxes to fund more police officers. That bill was first on Sandoval's list.

The governor also directed the Legislature to take up the measure that directed $2 million to the national nonprofit organization Teach for America. Recognizing that the bill would likely die in the Assembly, where Democrats strongly oppose the measure, Sandoval recommended instead that the money be directed to the Millennium Scholarship Fund.

Also on the proclamation is a bill to changing the oversight of the state's Charter Schools account, a bill on class-size reduction policy and another bill on tax abatements for economic development.

"The key bill is the More Cops bill," Sandoval's chief of staff Gerald Gardner said. "The second is the TFA bill."

Indeed, it was a the More Cops bill that set off a mad, last-minute scurry in the final seconds before the midnight close to the 2013 regular legislative session.

Governor Sandoval has been trying to sneak in some school privatization since last week. But so far, most legislators aren't biting. So instead, Governor Sandoval is agreeing to toss additional tobacco law suit settlement money into the Millennium Scholarship (but of course, not into health care for lung cancer victims or tobacco addiction prevention).

So how did we get here? Well, the 77th (regular) session did turn out to be quite a busy one.

Indeed, Democrats, who control both houses, pushed a number of liberal bills through the Legislature this session on issues lawmakers have largely been loath to broach before.

The gay marriage ban may be on its way to a voters repeal in 2016. Voters can decide whether to take mining’s tax protections out of the constitution in 2014. Immigrants here illegally will be able to get a driver’s authorization card in 2015.

A bill to require background checks on private party gun sales is on its way to Sandoval. Another measure would allow medical marijuana dispensaries to open in Nevada next year. And if fracking takes off in rural Nevada, a bill exists to regulate the controversial practice.

“It really is a sea change,” said Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, who pushed many of the bills on the progressive agenda. “Last session, we couldn’t even get a hearing on marijuana.”

Indeed, SJR 13 (marriage equality), SJR 15 (mining tax reform), SB 229 (saving Lake Tahoe), SB 303 (driver's authorization cards), SB 374 (medical marijuana dispensaries), and even more critical progressive supported bills passed this spring. To be fair, there actually has been plenty of progress in Carson City this year. Yet with that being said, we did ultimately run into the same problem we always seem to have in Carson City.

Yet even on overall tax reform and restoration of our state's public infrastructure, We the People will have the opportunity to provide leadership next year when SJR 15 and The Education Initiative will appear on our general election ballots. Yet because the Legislature couldn't get modest class size reduction legislation and authorization for more police officers for Clark County (funded by a surtax on sales tax here in The South) to the Governor in time, we're going to overtime.

And while we may have a few more days of wild song and dance routines, we already have a strong sense of what has to happen going forward.