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Interview: Gov. Sisolak Talks Legislative Priorities

Krysta Scripter
Governor Steve Sisolak speaking at his innauguration.

When Nevada's Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak gave his State of the State address, he laid out an agenda that called for more education funding, increasing the minimum wage and implementing background checks on gun sales. Now with the session in full swing, lawmakers are turning some of that agenda into legislation. KUNR's Political Reporter Paul Boger sat down with Governor Sisolak in his office in Carson City to talk about his priorities as lawmakers get to work.

Among the governor’s top priorities is passing an $8.8 billion state budget, an increase in state spending over the current budget. Sisolak says the increase is intended to pay for certain programs.

"I think there are programs that have been underfunded for a long, long time. They needed to be funded, whether that's Meals on Wheels, investing more money in education, investing more money in mental health," Sisolak said.

In addition to funding, Governor Sisolak has pushed for the full implementation of Nevada’s stalled gun background check measure. There is currently a measure before lawmakers that would amend the version passed by voters in 2016 with a workaround. Sisolak says he’s looking forward to seeing the bill when it hits his desk.

"We need to institute the will of the voters. The voters spoke. They voted on this issue. People wanted a background check, close the loophole on background checks and it's my understanding that's what [lawmakers] are going to move forward with."

Lawmakers will likely approve the measure by the end of the week.

Editor’s Note: During the interview, you may have heard an acronym -- D.S.A. -- That stands for Distributive School Account, it's essentially the pot of money directed to K-12 education in Nevada.

Paul Boger is a former reporter at KUNR Public Radio.
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