1st budget bill passes; backed by half of GOP members

The Appropriations Act cleared the Nevada Assembly today on a 34-7 vote.

All 28 Democrats stood together to pass the $3.88 billion plan which contains the majority of General Fund spending. They were joined by six Republicans: Minority Leader Heidi Gansert of Reno, Joe Hardy of Boulder City, Pete Goicoechea of Eureka, John Carpenter of Elko, and Lynn Stewart and Melissa Woodbury of Las Vegas.

Gansert said the money committees worked hard and in a bipartisan way to craft what she said is a bare bones budget.

"I don't think we could have done any different," she said of the additions made to the governor's recommended budget.

She said one of her key reasons for supporting the plan was the deep cut to higher education in the governor's proposed budget " 35.9 percent overall.

"If we take away education, we take away every opportunity," she said.

While she backed the spending plan, she said she still has reservations about the tax package needed to pay for it. Gansert said she doesn't like some of the increases and may not vote for the plan.

That brought a sharp response from Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, who is vice chairman of Ways and Means.

"I don't like what's in there, either," she said. "Every one of us would have a different package. That's not how it works.

"You can't vote for the spending plan if you're not going to vote for the revenue plan."

Assemblyman Ed Goedhart, R-Amargosa Valley, praised the bipartisan efforts of the committees but bemoaned the lack of consideration for what he said were GOP suggestions which "could have saved millions of dollars."

"Unfortunately, a lot of those bills were never allowed to have a hearing," he said.

Chad Christensen, R-Las Vegas, also voted against the bill.

"I came here with the fundamental belief that, if families have to live within their means, then government should have to live within their means," he said.

He said this budget doesn't do that and requires a large increase in taxes.

Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, D-Las Vegas, said the governor's budget wasn't balanced when it arrived and contained "draconian cuts that were beyond belief."

Hardy described the budget as a product of both houses and both parties working together.

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said the spending plan is accompanied by significant reforms to public employee benefits and retirement which rein in costs there. She said the money committees did "a tremendous job producing a budget that makes sense."

Goedhart and Christensen were joined in voting no by fellow Republicans Don Gustavson of Sparks, John Hambrick of Las Vegas, Ty Cobb of Reno, Richard McArthur of Las Vegas and James Settelmeyer of Gardnerville. Yerington Republican Tom Grady was absent Thursday.

The bill goes to the Senate, which is also expected to act today.

But before final passage of the Appropriations Act, the education funding bill " passed by the Senate early this morning " must be approved by the Assembly. "Education first" in the Nevada constitution requires public school funding be passed before other parts of the budget.

Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.