Nevada Lt. Governor candidate questions

Janine Hansen

Party: Independent American

Occupation: President Nevada Families for Freedom and citizen advocate for families and taxpayers.

Age: 66

Contact: 775-397-6859; Janine@janinehansen.com; www.janinehansen.com; www.iapn.org; www.nevadafamilies.org

Record of service: I am a wife, a mother of four children and a grandmother of fifteen. I have served as a citizen advocate representing families and taxpayers at every session of the Nevada Legislature since 1971. I have written a monthly newsletter informing citizens about State and National Legislative Issues since 1974. I have been the editor of the Nevada Families Voter Guide every election since 1986. I have served in church, all my adult life, teaching children and adults and in music as the choir director. I have served as National Constitutional Issues Chairman for Eagle Forum since 1990 testifying in many other state legislatures and helping organize national grass roots efforts. I serve as the Executive Director of the Independent American Party of Nevada.

Education: Graduated with honors from Sparks High School. Attended the University of Nevada, Reno. Graduated from Brigham Young University with honors magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science.

A brief statement about your platform: Oppose the proposed Constitutional Amendment to massively raise property taxes SJR14.

It is critical that we achieve excellence in education in order for businesses and families to thrive. We must repeal Common Core and implement quality education with world class standards for academic success. Nevada ranks 49th among the states in education. Nevada needs a well educated workforce in order to attract businesses with higher paying jobs. More money is not the answer…we must have fundamental reform including choice in education.

Protect Nevada Taxpayers, businesses and families, from the tax-burden of illegal immigration. According to the Center for Immigration Studies 62% of households headed by illegal immigrants used one or more welfare programs. The Federation for Immigration Reform estimates that the annual fiscal burden on Nevada taxpayers associated with illegal immigration to be about $630 million or an annual cost of about $763 per native-born household.

I support the individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms. More law abiding citizens with guns equals less crime. Our freedoms of religion and speech are under assault by those who embrace ‘political correctness’. I support the right to be born, traditional marriage, freedom of choice in health care, and government transparency and accountability.

What is one issue affecting the lives of Northern Nevadans that you would work to fix?

I am most concerned for the people of Northern Nevada, indeed all of Nevada, about the impending passage of SJR14—the massive property tax increase. It is a proposed Constitutional Amendment which passed the Nevada Legislature in 2017, will have to pass again in 2019 and then go on the ballot. As I have campaigned all over the state almost no one is aware of this critical issue. The effects will be devastating.

Historically Nevada has been a low tax state. Because of this we have attracted businesses, which create jobs to support families. In 2015 the Republicans passed the Largest Tax Increase in Nevada history. Now another even more destructive tax has reared its ugly head. The Constitutional amendment will do away with the property tax cap and eliminate deprecation.

The potential impacts for homes and businesses if SJR14 passes will be devastating. Here are some examples of the statewide impact of SJR14 according to Washoe County Assessor Michael E. Clark, “The property tax bill for a 1,200 square foot home built in 1964 in Old Northwest Reno would increase from $677 per year ($56 per month) to $2,264 the first year after the sale. This results in a $133 increase per month.”

“A 3,900 square foot home built in 1991 in Juniper Trails with a current tax bill of $8,344 per year would increase to $13,699 resulting in a $446 increases to the buyer’s monthly payments.”

The increases for business property would be similarly devastating.

As you can see, SJR14 requires that property taxes reset at a much higher rate, more than doubling or tripling, each time a home or business property is sold. If you plan to stay in your home until you die you might not care…except…

Your friends, neighbors, family, children and grandchildren will have much less to spend on food, clothing, health care, transportation, and housing, pushing more Nevadans into poverty. There will be no affordable housing and your property values will drop if you want to sell. If you have a business your customers will have less to spend. If you work for a business its customers will have less to spend so you may not get a raise or be able to keep your job. This will impoverish Nevadans!

This devastating property tax proposal will kill business and leave families unable to afford homes. It must be defeated.

You can sign up to receive alerts during the Legislature on SJR14 the massive property tax by going to www.CoalitiontoStopSJR14.org.

Kate Marshall

Party: Democrat

Occupation: Attorney

Age: 59

Contact information: kate@katefornevada.com, katefornevada.com

Record of service: Kate Marshall served as Nevada’s State Treasurer from 2006 to 2014 and was Nevada’s Deputy Attorney General under Frankie Sue del Papa. She previously served as a prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice.

Education: University of California, Berkeley B.A. 1982, University of California, Berkeley J.D. 1990

A brief statement about your platform: As Lt. Governor, I will be focused on making the middle class first class again. That starts with a strong economy, which depends on the quality of our education system and the health of our workforce.

When we talk about the economy, we have to talk about an economy that is focused on putting the middle class first. We also have to make sure that businesses that come to Nevada are hiring Nevadans, and that as the economy grows so do wages and job opportunities.

Nevada voters have voted time and again to increase funding for education. As Lt. Governor, I will be an aggressive advocate for our public education system and to make sure that the funds voters have approved for education are actually going to our schools, our students and our teachers.

Finally, as a breast cancer survivor, I understand on a deeply personal level how important it is that every Nevadan has access to affordable health care. No one should have to choose between their mortgage and their medication. We have to ensure that every single Nevawdan can afford a to see a doctor when they need to.

As Nevada’s next Lieutenant Governor, I’ll be focused on finding solutions to the issues affecting average people and always working towards making the middle class first again. I would be honored to earn your vote.

What is one issue affecting the lives of Northern Nevadans that you would work to fix?

No matter where I am in Northern Nevada, people inevitably express concern about our transportation and housing needs. The office of the Lt. Governor predominantly serves as an economic development officer of the state and sits on the state Board of Transportation. As a member of the state Board of Transportation, I will work to ensure that transportation needs throughout the state are addressed in a fair and equitable manner and that we access all the federal monies we are allotted for our roads. In Washoe County in particular, our growing economy and populace needs an innovative, expanding public transport system to ensure that the needs of our community are met as we grow. We also need to work towards increasing access to affordable housing. As Lt. Governor, I will work to ensure that our state is accessing all available federal tax credits and that we support the building of homes that are affordable for Nevada families.

Michael Roberson

Party: Republican

Occupation: Business Attorney

Age: 48

Contact: www.VoteMichaelRoberson.com; Michael@votemichaelroberson.com

Record of Service: 2010 – Present, Nevada State Senate, District 20; 2012 – Present, Republican Leader, Nevada State Senate

Education: B.G.S., University of Kansas; J.D., University of Kansas

A brief statement about your platform: Nevadans deserves a Lieutenant Governor with a record of accomplishments, not empty campaign promises--I am running for Lieutenant Governor to continue building on my record as a leader in the state Senate.

I led the effort to pass the largest increase in education funding in Nevada history, including funding for reduced class sizes and increased teacher pay. We also passed new and robust accountability measures to ensure that these new funds went directly to classrooms to help uplift the students who need it the most.

I passed the first total ban on gifts from lobbyists to legislators. I passed a groundbreaking law to crack down on drug companies overcharging for prescription drugs and I expanded healthcare coverage for every woman in Nevada. I am also proud to be the primary sponsor of Marsy’s Law, which will provide equal rights to victims of crime.

I am grateful to have the endorsement of Governor Brian Sandoval and Attorney General Adam Laxalt, as well as five current and former Lieutenant Governors.

If elected, I will continue to fight for the issues that matter in the lives of everyday Nevadans, just as I have done these past 8 years in the legislature.

What is one issue affecting the lives of Northern Nevadans that you would work to fix?

Education is my passion and I believe it is the most important issue facing our state. I’ve been working my entire time in public service to reform and improve K-12 education and to transfer money and decision-making from the central education bureaucracy to parents, teachers and local schools, and this is where I will continue to direct my efforts as Lieutenant Governor.

I also believe our public education system will benefit when students and their families have the ability to pick a school based on what works for them. That is why I led the effort to create Education Savings Accounts and Opportunity Scholarships.

In my opinion, education and economic development are inextricably linked. Bringing much needed improvement to the state’s education system is critical to our efforts to continue attracting new, diverse businesses and jobs to Northern Nevada and to the rest of the state.

Improving our education system really is the key toward economic diversification.

While much attention goes toward Clark County, I will pay special attention to the challenges facing school districts in Northern Nevada. As Northern Nevada continues to grow, we will need an experienced state leadership team to address the challenges of accommodating new students and scaling operations up.

Northern Nevadans should know that I will fight to ensure that your schools have access to the appropriate resources—and that those resources remain focused in the classroom and directed toward students who need help the most.