Nevada legislature

Lawmakers in Nevada are set to cut more than a billion dollars from the state’s general fund in order to cover a budget shortfall created by the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, proposed cuts to the state’s public education system are causing some consternation.

Lawmakers in Nevada are slated to gavel into a special session Wednesday morning to address a looming budget crisis. According to a report released by the Governor’s Office, Nevada is looking at a $1.2 billion deficit in the state’s general fund. 

Monday marks two weeks since 46-year-old George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Nevada is facing a budget crisis. According to estimates, sales and gaming taxes fell drastically during the state’s COVID-19 related shutdown in March and April, leaving a gaping budget hole for the current fiscal year ending June 30. So, how are lawmakers and others addressing the issue?

Nevada lawmakers have approved a plan to spend $8.2 million in state money to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reno assemblywoman Amber Joiner, a Democrat, is choosing not to run for reelection in 2018. Joiner was appointed to her seat in Assembly District 24 in 2014, and since then has served for two regular sessions and two special sessions.

But in an email to The Nevada Independent, Joiner says the financial burden of campaigning and serving is unsustainable.

An effort to recall three state Senators from Las Vegas, two Democrats as well as a Republican-turned-independent, could swing the balance of power in the Nevada legislature. Reno Public Radio's Paul Boger spoke to Michelle Rindels -- a reporter with the Nevada Independent -- to get the latest on the petitions.

Can you give us a little background on the petition process itself? How does it work, and how do you actually recall an elected officials in Northern Nevada?

Schools in Nevada are getting a little boost in funding as part of a new weighted student formula. The program seeks to put more money behind students needing additional resources. Reno Public Radio’s Noah Glick sat down with our education reporter Paul Boger to find out what the program could mean for schools in Nevada.

One bill signed into law by Governor Brian Sandoval during the recent legislative session will help preserve the Hillside Cemetery in Reno and all historic cemeteries. Our News Director Michelle Billman spoke with contributor Bob Conrad of ThisisReno to learn more. 

The law (AB203) restores local government oversight of cemeteries, and it requires a government entity “to make determinations before a cemetery authority may order the disinterment and removal of human remains.”

Drama in the 2017 legislative session hit critical mass Thursday, after Senate Republicans voted against a bill that would have created a new tax on the sale of recreational cannabis. By killing the measure, lawmakers began a tit-for-tat domino effect that could possibly end in the governor calling a special legislative session. Reno Public Radio’s Paul Boger reports.

There is less than one month left in the 2017 Legislative Session, and that means, more and more, lawmakers are starting to turn their attention to the state budget. The latest numbers suggest that budget writers will have close to $8 billion to work with over the next two years. Reno Public Radio’s News Director Michelle Billman spoke with our political reporter Paul Boger about the revenue projection and other bills making their way through the process.

Optimistic Revenue Projections

Nearly 370,000 Nevadans could lose their health coverage by 2019 under a plan passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday.

Under the proposed American Health Care Act, Nevada could see drastic changes especially to the number of people covered under the state’s Medicaid program. 

"They can't get in to see, unless they can pay for it, primary care provider," says Chuck Duarte who runs the Community Health Alliance, a federally qualified health center that provides medical, dental and psychological care for thousands of residents in Northern Nevada.

A bill that would mandate fluoridating the water in Truckee Meadows is receiving heavy opposition. Our News Director Michelle Billman spoke with Bob Conrad of ThisisReno to learn more. 

KUNR: Who is proposing this bill and what reasons have they given?

One bill in the Nevada legislature aims to protect small waste haulers against the exclusive contracts that many cities have with larger companies. Our News Director Michelle Billman spoke with Bob Conrad of ThisisReno to learn more. 

Lawmakers are quickly approaching the halfway point of the 2017 Legislative session. There are officially 62 days left, and there’s still a lot of work to be done. So let’s recap the past seven days.

COMMITTEE BILL INTRODUCTIONS

Monday marked yet another deadline for the introduction of bills by committees. Over the course of the day, the legislature 21 committees dropped another 175 bills.

Monday marked the first major deadline for lawmakers during the 2017 legislative session in Nevada. Legislators worked late into the evening to introduce personal bills.

A Northern Nevada lawmaker says he may file an ethics complaint against a fellow legislator who was recently outed as a foreign agent for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.