8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013 1

!"#$%&'%( *+,-./0% 1/#$"$23

4/('+%$5 60'+0'-'/37 8#/0#'/9 +:
-./ ;;
-.
*/33'+% +: -./ 1/#$"$
</('35$-,0/

uAvlu l. uAMC8L

Cn !anuary 10, 2013 Lhe elecLed leadershlp of SouLhern nevada meL Lo dlscuss Lhe
reglon's governance, k-12, hlgher educaLlon, lnfrasLrucLure, economlc developmenL,
and healLh care needs. lrom LhaL blparLlsan dlscusslon emerged pollcy prlorlLles for
Lhe 77
Lh
Sesslon of Lhe nevada LeglslaLure. 1hls reporL examlnes Lhe degree Lo whlch
Lhe reglon's elecLed senaLors and assembly members advanced Lhese prlorlLles and
represenLed Lhe lnLeresLs of SouLhern nevada ln sLaLe governmenL.

As well as deLalllng a serles of bllls relevanL Lo our reglon, Lhe reporL analyzes Lhe
conLexL ln whlch key leglslaLlon emerged.
1
Pow and when bllls move Lhrough Lhe
leglslaLlve process can make flnal voLes all buL meanlngless. As a consequence, a Lally
of voLes may obscure as much as lL reveals lf reglonal lnLeresLs have been
compromlsed ahead of Lhe acLual voLe. 1hus, ln addlLlon Lo conslderlng Lhe behavlor
of lndlvldual leglslaLors, Lhe ouLcome of each blll ls sub[ecLlvely raLed (assed,
Weakened, CuLLed, eLc.).

1he followlng secLlon provldes an overvlew of Lhe scored leglslaLlon lncludlng voLe
summarles for Lhe LeglslaLure's four reglonal/parLlsan caucuses (voLes for lndlvldual
SouLhern nevada leglslaLors are presenLed ln Lhe Appendlx). As 1able 1 reveals, Lhere
are Lwo Lypes of voLes ln Lhe nevada LeglslaLure - blparLlsan and parLlsan - wlLh
reglonal voLlng (a ma[orlLy of souLhern leglslaLors opposlng a ma[orlLy of norLhern
leglslaLors) non-exlsLenL even for bllls when reglonal lnLeresLs are sallenL. 1hus, Lhe
second porLlon of Lhe reporL uses S8322 and S8391 Lo demonsLraLe how Lhe
leglslaLlve process was used Lo undermlne some of Lhe reglon's leglslaLlve prlorlLles.
1he reporL concludes by noLlng slgnlflcanL efforLs made by SouLhern nevada
leglslaLors Lo advance Lhe reglon's lnLeresLs and summarlzes emerglng pollcy prlorlLles
for Lhe 78
Lh
Sesslon of Lhe nevada LeglslaLure.









Oo Iooooty 10,
201J tbe electeJ
leoJetsblp of
5ootbeto NevoJo
met to Jlscoss tbe
teqloos
qovetoooce, k-12,
blqbet eJocotloo,
loftosttoctote,
ecooomlc
Jevelopmeot, ooJ
beoltb cote oeeJs.
ltom tbot
blpottlsoo
Jlscossloo
emetqeJ pollcy
ptlotltles fot tbe
77
tb
5essloo of tbe
NevoJo
leqlslotote.




2 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013




=$>5/ ?7 *+,-./0% 1/#$"$ </('35$-'#/ 60'+0'-'/3@ AB?C



D+#/0%$%&/

Lconomlc acLlvlLy ln SouLhern nevada generaLes well over 80 of general fund revenue
and Lhe reglon's populaLlon ls Lhe maln drlver for accesslng federal resources. 1o make
cerLaln LhaL Lhese funds are used effecLlvely Lhree of Lhe Covernance bllls (A8130,
A8233, and A8466) soughL lncreased accounLablllLy and Lransparency of sLaLe flnances.
Powever, only A8466 requlrlng Lhe reporLlng of all Lax expendlLures acLually became
law. As Lhe LeglslaLure conslders reforms Lo Lhe sLaLe's Lax code ellmlnaLlng lneffecLlve
Lax expendlLures musL be a parL of Lhls dlscusslon.

A8233, whlch would have requlred Lhe reporLlng of federal revenues recelved by sLaLe
agencles, lnsLlLuLlons of hlgher educaLlon, school dlsLrlcLs, and charLer schools, dled ln
Lhe Assembly. Clven LhaL nevada ranks lasL ln securlng census based federal ald, havlng
an lnvenLory of Lhe federal dollars LhaL Lhe sLaLe does recelve would be useful Lo
leglslaLors as Lhey look Lo reform nevada's governance sLrucLures Lo more effecLlvely
capLure federal revenue, as well as evaluaLe lf Lhe federal funds Lhe sLaLe does recelve
are belng used for Lhelr lnLended purposes.



8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013 3





erhaps, Lhe mosL slgnlflcanL leglslaLlon for lncreaslng accounLablllLy, A8130, was
veLoed by Covernor Sandoval. 1he leglslaLlon creaLes Lhe LeglslaLlve CommlLLee on
CovernmenLal CverslghL and AccounLablllLy wlLh Lhe auLhorlLy Lo monlLor and
lnvesLlgaLe local and sLaLe governmenLal enLlLles durlng Lhe lnLerlm sesslon. AL Lhe sLarL
of Lhe 78
Lh
LeglslaLlve Sesslon ln 2013, leglslaLors wlll have Lhe opporLunlLy Lo overrlde
Lhe Covernor's veLo and empower Lhelr body wlLh lncreased overslghL capaclLy.

CLher bllls begln Lo reform nevada's anLlquaLed lnsLlLuLlons Lo more effecLlvely serve
Lhe sLaLe's lncreaslngly urban and dlverse populaLlon and allevlaLe decades of lnequlLles
ln Lhe collecLlon and dlsLrlbuLlon of Lax revenue. WlLh respecL Lo revenue reform, S!813
(orlglnally passed ln Lhe 76
Lh
sesslon and quallfylng for Lhe 2014 balloL) amends Lhe
nevada ConsLlLuLlon Lo ellmlnaLe Lhe cap on Lhe neL proceeds of mlnerals Lax and
reformlng Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon of Lhese revenues.
2
A868 resLrucLures allocaLlons from Lhe
Local CovernmenL 1ax ulsLrlbuLlon AccounL (Lhe C-Lax) resulLlng ln more equlLable
approprlaLlons Lo SouLhern nevada, whlle A8303 eases ulllon's 8ule llmlLaLlons on how
local governmenLs manage Lhelr budgeLs and reserves, a reform LhaL wlll provlde norLh
Las vegas wlLh flexlblllLy Lo conLlnue fundlng crlLlcal servlces.

1he lasL Lwo Covernance bllls - S!88 and S8322 -lmprove SouLhern nevada's ablllLy Lo
shape sLaLe pollcy. S!88 amends Lhe nevada ConsLlLuLlon Lo provlde for annual regular
leglslaLlve sesslons.
3
SouLhern nevada beneflLs from a LeglslaLure wlLh lncreased
capaclLy ln Lwo ways. llrsL, glven Lhe sLrong norLhern LllL Lo Lhe sLafflng and operaLlons
of sLaLe governmenL, Lhe nevada LeglslaLure ls one of Lhe few sLaLe lnsLlLuLlons where
Lhe lnLeresLs of SouLhern nevada can be properly addressed. Second, Lhe comblnaLlon
of a parL-Llme leglslaLure and ulllon's 8ule resLralnLs mean LhaL lssues LhaL are cruclal Lo
SouLhern nevada's local governmenLs ofLen recelve llLLle aLLenLlon ln Carson ClLy.

S8322 proposed Lo reform Lhe nevada ueparLmenL of 1ransporLaLlon (nuC1) LxecuLlve
8oard. Powever, as ls deLalled below, S8322 was guLLed, and a consequence, nuC1 and
lLs $1.2 bllllon budgeL wlll conLlnue Lo be overseen by a board led by non-LransporLaLlon
experLs and LhaL slgnlflcanLly underwelghLs represenLaLlon for SouLhern nevada.

EF?A $%" G'(./0 H",&$-'+%

erhaps no pollcy area recelved more aLLenLlon durlng Lhe 2013 sesslon Lhan educaLlon.
MosL slgnlflcanLly, S8304, whlch lncludes elemenLs of A8163 and S8182, provldes - for
Lhe flrsL Llme ln Lhe sLaLe's hlsLory - fundlng for Lngllsh Language Learners (LLL) and
esLabllshes Lhe Lngllsh MasLery Councll Lo oversee LLL pollcy. S8304 also provldes



4 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013




fundlng for early chlldhood educaLlon and full-day klndergarLen ln schools servlng some
of Lhe sLaLe's mosL lmpoverlshed nelghborhoods. A82 (passed durlng Lhe 27
Lh
Speclal
Sesslon) codlfles class slze Leachlng raLlos for k-3 grades.

CollecLlvely, Lhese reforms begln Lo allgn nevada's educaLlonal pollcy and fundlng wlLh
Lhe sLaLe's rapldly changlng demography. ln parLlcular, S8304 approprlaLes nearly $40
mllllon for Lhe blennlum Lo lmplemenL Lhese pollces ln SouLhern nevada ln addlLlon Lo
Lhe sLaLe approprlaLlon Lo Lhe Clark CounLy School ulsLrlcL (S8322).

AlLhough Lhere were no blll drafL requesLs seeklng Lo codlfy Lhe reforms Lo Lhe fundlng
of hlgher educaLlon endorsed by Lhe S8374 (2011) lnLerlm sLudy commlLLee, budgeL
negoLlaLlons ylelded Lhe unlverslLy of nevada, Las vegas (unLv), nevada SLaLe College
(nSC), and Lhe College of SouLhern nevada (CSn) roughly $33 mllllon over Lhe blennlum
ln lncreased hlgher educaLlon fundlng (relaLlve Lo 2013) by maklng slgnlflcanL changes Lo
Covernor Sandoval's LxecuLlve 8udgeL.
4


Whlle Lhe 2013-13 budgeL beglns Lo address long-sLandlng reglonal operaLlng lnequlLles
ln Lhe fundlng of hlgher educaLlon, oLher Lhan redlrecLlng $1.2 mllllon from Lhe LsLaLe
1ax AccounL (A8302) for Lhe deslgn and consLrucLlon of bulldlngs aL nevada SLaLe
College and rolllng over plannlng money for Lhe unLv PoLel College 8ulldlng, no
progress was made on remedylng Lhe Lhree souLhern lnsLlLuLlons' caplLal deflclencles.
lndeed, Lhe only hlgher educaLlon caplLal pro[ecL funded ls Lhe demollLlon of un8's
CeLchell Llbrary (A8303) Lo make way for a sLudenL achlevemenL cenLer.

1he LeglslaLure also lald Lhe groundwork for separaLlng nevada's communlLy colleges
from Lhe nevada SysLem of Plgher LducaLlon (nSPL). S8391 creaLes an lnLerlm
commlLLee Lo sLudy reforms Lo Lhe governance and flnanclng of Lhe sLaLe's communlLy
colleges. nevada ls one of Lwo sLaLes where communlLy colleges, four year colleges, and
unlverslLles are governed, admlnlsLered, and funded ln Lhe same manner, a sLrucLure
LhaL hlnders Lhe communlLy colleges' ablllLy Lo parLner wlLh local lndusLrles, compeLe for
workforce Lralnlng granLs, and respond Lo nevada's dlverse demographlc and economlc
needs. ?eL, as ls deLalled below, even a blll as commonsenslcal as S8391 was
amended Lo llmlL leglslaLlve overslghL over Lhese lnsLlLuLlons.

I%:0$3-0,&-,0/ $%" H&+%+J'& K/#/5+LJ/%-

AlLhough SouLhern nevada ls Lhe englne of Lhe sLaLe's economy, local governmenLs are
ofLen responslble for developlng and malnLalnlng Lhe reglon's lnfrasLrucLure, such as Lhe



8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013 5





Las vegas 8elLway and expanslons Lo Lhe McCarran lnLernaLlonal AlrporL and Lhe Las
vegas ConvenLlon CenLer, wlLh llLLle sLaLe asslsLance. Whlle mosL of Lhe caplLal pro[ecLs
budgeL (A8303) addresses backlogged malnLenance pro[ecLs, Lhe LeglslaLure passed four
bllls LhaL wlll asslsL wlLh economlc developmenL and dlverslflcaLlon ln SouLhern nevada.

A8114 auLhorlzes lnLerneL gamlng ln nevada and allows Lhe sLaLe Lo enLer lnLo
agreemenLs wlLh oLher sLaLes Lo dellver onllne poker. 1he leglslaLlon poslLlons SouLhern
nevada Lo be an lndusLry leader ln onllne gamlng, whlle llnklng Lhe sLaLe's core
economlc drlver wlLh Lhe reglon's emerglng Lechnology secLor. A8333 creaLes Lhe
unlverslLy of nevada, Las vegas Campus lmprovemenL AuLhorlLy Lo oversee Lhe
unLvnow sLadlum pro[ecL. SouLhern nevada - Lhe premler convenLlon and
enLerLalnmenL desLlnaLlon ln Lhe naLlon - ls unable Lo compeLe for evenLs LhaL would
expand nevada's core economlc secLor because Lhe reglon lacks a cenLrally locaLed
faclllLy LhaL ls capable of hosLlng evenLs LhaL aLLracL more Lhan 20,000 people. A8333 ls
an lmporLanL flrsL sLep ln addresslng Lhls deflclency.

1he LeglslaLure also exLended enabllng leglslaLlon Lo Lhe Clark CounLy Commlsslon
(A8413) Lo lncrease Lhe local componenL of Lhe gas Lax. 1he revenue generaLed by Lhls
lncrease wlll expedlLe work on long neglecLed LransporLaLlon pro[ecLs ln SouLhern
nevada and offseL llmlLed sLaLe lnvesLmenL ln Lhe reglon's roadways. LasLly, durlng Lhe
2011 sesslon, Lhe Covernor and Lhe LeglslaLure falled Lo fund Lhe knowledge lund, a
key componenL of Lhe sLaLe's economlc developmenL sLraLegy. lor Lhls plan Lo succeed,
Lhe sLaLe musL lnvesL ln lLs research lnfrasLrucLure and capaclLy. 1he $10 mllllon
approprlaLlon Lo Lhe knowledge lund (A8307) puLs nevada on LhaL paLh.

4/('+%$5 6+5'-'&3 '% -./ 1/#$"$ </('35$-,0/

As noLed aL Lhe ouLseL and as ls summarlzed ln 1able 1, reglonal voLlng ln Lhe nevada
LeglslaLure ls a non-evenL, an ouLcome aL odds wlLh Lhe geographlc Lenslons LhaL have
long deflned Lhe sLaLe's pollLlcal economy and LhaL were promlnenL LhroughouL Lhe 77
Lh

Sesslon. undersLandlng why reglon ls unobserved ln leglslaLors' voLes requlres a closer
lnspecLlon of how leglslaLlve rules and procedures were used by mlnorlLy lnLeresLs Lo
weaken reforms cenLral Lo Lhe SouLhern nevada agenda. ollcy maklng of Lhls Lype
sLands ln conLrasL Lo Lhe parLlsan dlvlslons LhaL Lyplcally shape leglslaLlve pollLlcs.

llgures 1 and 2 presenL Lhe baslc dynamlcs. llgure 1 summarlzes voLlng on an lssue LhaL
has long-dlvlded uemocraLs and 8epubllcans: Lhe deflnlLlon of marrlage (S!813). lor
Lhls blll Lwo 8epubllcans broke parLy llnes, whlle all uemocraLs voLed ln favor. Also noLe



6 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013




LhaL because S!813 ls a leglslaLlve referendum, no gubernaLorlal acLlon ls requlred.
1hus, Covernor Sandoval was lrrelevanL Lo Lhe ouLcome, allowlng ma[orlLy uemocraLs Lo
conLrol Lhe process wlLh llLLle regard for 8epubllcan preferences.

M'(,0/ ?7 N+-'%( O+$5'-'+%3 '% -./ 1/#$"$ </('35$-,0/@ *+&'$5 I33,/ HP$JL5/



llgure 2 deLalllng Lhe near unanlmous voLe ln supporL of S8322 offers an lnsLance of a
blll where reglonal preferences were sallenL, buL unobserved ln leglslaLors' voLlng. 1o be
sure, any leglslaLlon addresslng governance has reglonal lmpllcaLlons wlLh norLhern
preferences belng Lo preserve Lhe sLaLus quo, whlle SouLhern nevada's lnLeresL ls ln
reform. As ouLllned above, S8322 soughL Lo reform Lhe nuC1 LxecuLlve 8oard.
3


M'(,0/ A7 N+-'%( O+$5'-'+%3 '% -./ 1/#$"$ </('35$-,0/@ D+#/0%$%&/ I33,/ HP$JL5/



lf lmplemenLed as unanlmously passed by Lhe SenaLe 1ransporLaLlon CommlLLee ln early
Aprll, S8322 would have creaLed a larger LxecuLlve 8oard composed solely of
norLhern uem
SouLhern uem SouLhern 8ep
norLhern 8ep
S!813 Assembly SenaLe
norLhern uem
4-0 1-0
norLhern 8ep
0-8 1-4
SouLhern uem
22-0-1 10-0
SouLhern 8ep
1-6 0-3
1oLals
27-14-1 12-9
Slnce S!813 ls a referendum,
Lhe Covernor ls lrrelevanL.
norLhern uem
SouLhern uem SouLhern 8ep
norLhern 8ep
S8322 Assembly SenaLe
norLhern uem
4-0 1-0
norLhern 8ep
7-1 3-0
SouLhern uem
22-0-1 9-0-1
SouLhern 8ep
7-0 3-0
1oLals
40-1-1 20-0-1
8eglonal voung ls unobserved.



8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013 7





LransporLaLlon experLs wlLh represenLaLlon proporLlonaLe Lo populaLlon. As ls deLalled
ln llgure 3, Lhls dld noL happen.

Soon afLer lnLroducLlon and commlLLee referral, Lhe nuC1 placed a flscal noLe agalnsL
Lhe blll Lo cover Lhe cosLs of a larger board, a move LhaL re-referred Lhe blll Lo Lhe
SenaLe llnance CommlLLee chalred by uebble SmlLh (u - Sparks).
6
Lven afLer Lhe
8eglonal 1ransporLaLlon AuLhorlLy of SouLhern nevada agreed Lo pay Lhe flscal noLe,
S8322 langulshed ln Lhe SenaLe llnance CommlLLee unLll Lhe second Lo lasL day of Lhe
sesslon when an amended verslon of Lhe blll replaclng Lhe ALLorney Ceneral wlLh a
second gubernaLorlal appolnLee from SouLhern nevada was passed ouL of commlLLee.
7

WlLh llLLle Llme Lo amend Lhe blll elsewhere ln Lhe leglslaLlve process, Lhe blll's sponsor,
SenaLor Mark Manendo, relucLanLly accepLed Lhe compromlse."

M'(,0/ C7 4/('+%$5 60'+0'-'/3 $%" -./ </('35$-'#/ 60+&/33



8y exLendlng Lo Lhe Covernor's offlce over a quarLer of Lhe sesslon Lo work-ouL" a
compromlse," Lhe SenaLe llnance CommlLLee alLered S8322's Lra[ecLory ln a manner
LhaL exLrlcaLed Covernor Sandoval from a dlfflculL pollLlcal slLuaLlon. Movlng S8322
Lhrough Lhe leglslaLlve process earller ln Lhe sesslon would have requlred gubernaLorlal
acLlon wlLhln flve days. lf Lhe Covernor veLoed S8322 as orlglnally wrlLLen ln order Lo
preserve norLhern nevada's dlsproporLlonaLe lnfluence over Lhe nuC1 LxecuLlve 8oard,




8 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013




a norLhern Covernor - a year before reelecLlon - would be denylng Lhree-quarLers of Lhe
sLaLe's populaLlon equal represenLaLlon on a key sLaLewlde panel. 1hls also would have
glven Lhe LeglslaLure Lhe opporLunlLy Lo overrlde Lhe veLo, a llkely ouLcome glven LhaL
SouLhern nevada leglslaLors consLlLuLe a super-ma[orlLy ln boLh chambers.
AlLernaLlvely, Covernor Sandoval could have slgned S8322 and ln so dolng, lose a key
norLhern asseL LhaL under hls waLch opened Lhe $330 mllllon lnLersLaLe 380 pro[ecL
expandlng capaclLy beLween 8eno and Carson ClLy Lo Len lanes and green-llghLed key
componenLs of Lhe Carson ClLy 8ypass pro[ecL.
8
Meanwhlle, Lhe lnLersLaLe 11 pro[ecL
llnklng Las vegas and hoenlx - Lhe Lwo largesL meLropollLan reglons ln Lhe counLry noL
connecLed by an lnLersLaLe - remalns on Lhe drawlng board.

S8391 Lells a slmllar sLory. Crlglnally wrlLLen Lo Lransfer conLrol of nevada's communlLy
colleges from Lhe nSPL Lo Lhe SLaLe 8oard of LducaLlon, Lhe blll was amended and
unanlmously passed ouL of Lhe SenaLe LducaLlon CommlLLee as an lnLerlm sLudy Lo
examlne Lhe devoluLlon of Lhe sLaLe's communlLy colleges. lncluded ln Lhe blll was a
leglslaLlvely dlrecLed audlL of Lhese nSPL admlnlsLered lnsLlLuLlons, Lhree of whlch are
locaLed ln norLhern nevada. 8eLween Lhe Llme LhaL S8391 was lnLroduced and Lhen
unanlmously passed ouL of Lhe SenaLe LducaLlon CommlLLee, Lhree sLaLe agencles
placed flscal noLes agalnsL Lhe orlglnal blll. Lven Lhough Lhe noLes were lrrelevanL Lo Lhe
amended verslon of S8391, Lhe blll was re-referred Lo SenaLe llnance CommlLLee. Cnce
agaln, Lhe blll was held unLll Lhe sesslon's end, Lhls Llme so LhaL a blparLlsan coallLlon of
norLhern nevada SenaLors could englneer a compromlse" LhaL removed Lhe audlL
language from Lhe blll, whlle also addlng non-leglslaLors Lo Lhe sLudy's sub-commlLLees.

!usL as wlLh S8322, Lhe blll's sponsor, SenaLor 8arbara Cegavske, was lefL wlLh no Llme Lo
seek changes Lo Lhe blll and was forced Lo accepL Lhe compromlse." WlLhouL Lhe audlL,
Laxpayers have llLLle way of knowlng why Lhese lnsLlLuLlons have been unable Lo access
relevanL federal programs (l.e., MlnorlLy or Plspanlc Servlng lnsLlLuLlon sLaLus or
1AACCC1 workforce Lralnlng granLs). An audlL mlghL also explaln Lhe orlglns of Lhe
mllllons ln cash LhaL Lhe nSPL revealed laLe ln Lhe sesslon Lo offseL Lhe leglslaLlvely
lmposed cuLs Lo Lhe norLhern communlLy college, as well as address llngerlng concerns
abouL Lhe managemenL of Lhese lnsLlLuLlons broughL Lo llghL ln recenL medla reporLs.
9


AB?C $%" Q/R+%"

Alded by regular meeLlngs of Lhe SouLhern nevada Caucus ln Carson ClLy and SouLhern
nevada, durlng Lhe 2013 sesslon leglslaLors from SouLhern nevada successfully
advanced a number of reglonal prlorlLles. 1o be sure, Lhls ouLcome dld noL happen by



8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013 9





chance, buL raLher was Lhe resulL of a blparLlsan coallLlon dellverlng consensus pollcles
LhaL begln Lo puL Lhe reglon on a paLh Lo conLrol and develop lLs asseLs and provlde
some of Lhe resources Lhe reglon needs Lo educaLe Lhe nexL generaLlon of nevadans.

ln llghL of Lhese efforLs, a number of leglslaLors deserve recognlLlon for Lhelr work
durlng Lhe 77
Lh
Sesslon of Lhe nevada LeglslaLure. As noLed above, SenaLors Mark
Manendo and 8arbara Cegavske carrled Lwo of Lhe reglon's mosL lmporLanL bllls: S8322
and S8391. Assembly Ma[orlLy Leader Wllllam Porne and Ways and Means Chalr
Maggle CarlLon Look Lhe lead ln negoLlaLlng Lhe hlgher educaLlon budgeL. S8304 reflecLs
Lhe hard work of SenaLor Ma[orlLy Leader Mo uenls and Assemblywomen Cllvla ulaz.
SenaLe MlnorlLy Leader Mlchael 8oberson expedlLed Lhe quallflcaLlon of S!813 for Lhe
2014 balloL so LhaL voLers wlll have Lhe opporLunlLy Lo eradlcaLe perhaps Lhe mosL
glarlng reglonal lnequlLy of all. Assembly AsslsLanL MlnorlLy Leader CrescenL Pardy was
a sLrong advocaLe for A8413, whlle SenaLor 1lck Segerblom and Assemblywomen Lucy
llores pushed S!88 Lhrough Lhe leglslaLlve process. LasLly, Assembly Speaker Marllyn
klrkpaLrlck used her leadershlp perch Lo shape and move a number of Lhe reglon's key
bllls lncludlng A868, A8130, A8466, and A8303.

SLlll, looklng ahead Lo 2013, Lhere ls much work Lo be done. Whlle reglonal prlorlLles
wlll be developlng beLween now and Lhen, a number of dellverables are clear:

1o expand Lhe capaclLy of Lhe nevada LeglslaLure, a flrsL order of buslness of Lhe
2013 sesslon ls Lhe overrlde of A8130 and Lhe second passage of S!88.
CollecLlvely, Lhese measures should faclllLaLe more effecLlve governance by
lncreaslng overslghL of Lhe execuLlve branch and provldlng leglslaLors wlLh Llme
Lo develop pollcy and aLLend Lo Lhe needs of Lhe reglon's local governmenLs.

8eformlng sLaLe boards and commlsslons such as 1axaLlon, 1ransporLaLlon, and
1ourlsm along Lhe llnes of Lhe orlglnal verslon of S8322 wlll ensure
proporLlonaLe reglonal represenLaLlon on panels overseelng key sLaLe agencles.

assage of leglslaLlon modeled on A8233. 1hls reform, along wlLh A8466, wlll
provlde Lhe LeglslaLure wlLh Lhe flscal lnformaLlon needed Lo ellmlnaLe
lneffecLlve and anLlquaLed Lax expendlLures and lnform dlscusslons abouL how
Lo more effecLlvely leverage sLaLe dollars Lo beLLer capLure federal revenue.







10 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013



8eform Lhe sLaLe's fundlng formula for k-12 educaLlon, Lhe NevoJo lloo. 1he
formula allocaLes no resources for LLL, low lncome and aL rlsk sLudenLs, or glfLed
and LalenLed sLudenLs. Whlle S8304 provldes one-Llme resources for some of
Lhe reglon's k-12 educaLlonal needs, conLlnued fooL-dragglng may resulL ln legal
acLlon and Lhe lmposlLlon of pollcy remedles from ouLslde Lhe LeglslaLure

assage of leglslaLlon reorganlzlng Lhe governance and admlnlsLraLlon of Lhe
sLaLe's communlLy colleges and developlng local fundlng sLreams for Lhese
lnsLlLuLlons. Local conLrol of Lhese poLenLlally valuable, buL presenLly poorly
uLlllzed asseLs wlll allow Lhese lnsLlLuLlons Lo be reformed as a Lool for economlc
developmenL and empowermenL, whlle also lmprovlng responslveness Lo
SouLhern nevada's dlverse and growlng populaLlon.

ln addlLlon Lo worklng wlLh key reglonal sLakeholders Lo brlng Lhe unLvnow
ro[ecL Lo frulLlon, souLhern leglslaLors musL conLlnue Lo advocaLe for lnLersLaLe
11 and make cerLaln LhaL Lhe pro[ecL ls recelvlng Lhe approprlaLe aLLenLlon and
resources. 1he compleLlon of boLh lnfrasLrucLure pro[ecLs ls crlLlcal Lo Lhe
reglon's economlc developmenL.

1he reglon's leglslaLors musL secure Lhe resources Lo faclllLaLe unLv's ascenL Lo
Carnegle 8esearch unlverslLy very Plgh SLaLus. CulLe slmply, SouLhern nevada's
fuLure ls nevada's fuLure and wlLhouL a hlgh capaclLy, research-lnLenslve
unlverslLy ln lLs Lwo mllllon person globally connecLed meLropollLan economlc
englne, nevada wlll conLlnue Lo fall farLher behlnd lLs reglonal and global
compeLlLors. CenLral Lo Lhls mlsslon ls Lhe developmenL of a unLv led medlcal
school. As Lhe largesL meLropollLan area ln Lhe counLy wlLhouL a medlcal school,
Lhe reglon has lnadequaLe healLh care capaclLy Lo serve lLs resldenLs and ls
mlsslng a key asseL needed for economlc dlverslflcaLlon and developmenL.

Whlle Lhe foundaLlons for many of Lhese pollcles were developed durlng Lhe 2013
sesslon, expedlLlng Lhe dellvery of Lhese and oLher reglonal prlorlLles necesslLaLes LhaL
Lhe SouLhern nevada delegaLlon exerL reglonal hegemony over Lhe leglslaLlve process.
lndeed, one of Lhe mosL lmporLanL lessons from Lhe 2013 sesslon ls LhaL wlLhouL
SouLhern nevadans conLrolllng Lhe levers of leglslaLlve power, equlLable sLaLe
lnvesLmenL ln Lhe reglon wlll conLlnue Lo be delayed and reforms Lo nevada's ouLmoded
governance lnsLlLuLlons wlll be obsLrucLed. Whlle Lhe burden ls always greaLer for Lhose
challenglng Lhe sLaLus quo, for nevada Lo fulflll lLs poLenLlal, Lhe reglon musL have
lnvesLmenL commensuraLe wlLh lLs populaLlon and conLrlbuLlon Lo Lhe sLaLe's economy,
whlle belng glven Lhe auLonomy Lo develop lLs asseLs and resources.




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BrookingsMountainWest|December2013 13





ENDNOTES

1
Attheendofthe77
th
Session,theLasVegasMetroChamberofCommercereleasedareportdetailing
SouthernNevadaslegislativeprioritiesthatformthebasisoftheanalysispresentedhere.

2
Underpresentarrangements,roughlyhalfoftherevenuegeneratedfromthenetproceedsof
mineralstaxisreturnedtothecountyfromwhichitwasderived.

3
SJR8willneedtopasstheLegislatureagainin2015beforereachingtheballotin2016.

4
Inafutureanalysis,theauthorwillexamineindetailhighereducationfundinginNevada.

5
NDOTsstructurewascreatedin1957whenNevadawastheleastpopulatedstateinthecountryand
isoverseenbyaboardcomposedofgubernatorialappointeesfromthreegeographicdistricts,aswell
astheGovernor,LieutenantGovernor,AttorneyGeneral,andController.SB322replacestheAttorney
GeneralwithasecondSouthernNevadaappointee.Nevadaistheonlystatewhereelectedpoliticians
overseetransportationpolicy.

6
BillsthatcreatefiscaldeviationsfromtheGovernorsExecutiveBudgetarerereferredtoeitherthe
SenateFinanceortheAssemblyWaysandMeansCommittees.

7
The120daysessionlengthwasimposedbya1998amendmenttotheNevadaConstitutionauthored
byBillRaggio(RReno);arareinstanceoflegislatorsgivingupakeylegislativeprerogative.

8
TheU.S.CensusBureaureportsthatin2010and2011CarsonCitylostpopulation.Incomparison,
between2010and2012ClarkCountyaddedover48,000Nevadansorroughly88%ofthetotal
populationofCarsonCity.

9
Seeforinstance,SecondCollegeofSouthernNevadaOfficialResignsAmidFinancialAidScandal,
LasVegasReviewJournal,September19,2013;TMCCPresidentNoLongerFinalistforArizonaJob
AfterQuestionsoverPalmDesertFraud.RenoGazetteJournal,February1,2013;andDidCSNTryto
SilenceWhistleblower?LasVegasSun,November18,2011

8rooklngs MounLaln WesL | uecember 2013 14



!"##$%&'( *#+&,-%& ./(,

LsLabllshed ln 2009 as a parLnershlp beLween Lhe
8rooklngs lnsLlLuLlon and Lhe unlverslLy of nevada,
Las vegas (unLv), 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL (8MW)
seeks Lo brlng hlgh-quallLy lndependenL and
lnfluenLlal publlc pollcy research Lo Lhe crlLlcal lssues
faclng Lhe dynamlc meLropollLan areas of Lhe
MounLaln WesL reglon. ln Lhls, Lhe new lnlLlaLlve
bullds upon Lhe work of 8rooklngs' MeLropollLan
ollcy rogram, whlch focuses on helplng
meLropollLan areas grow ln robusL, lncluslve, and
susLalnable ways Lhrough aLLenLlon Lo Lhe
fundamenLal drlvers of prosperlLy such as lnnovaLlon,
lnfrasLrucLure, human caplLal, and quallLy of place, as
well as reglonal governance. Along Lhose llnes, 8MW,
along wlLh parLners LhroughouL Lhe MounLaln WesL,
Lakes a deep lnLeresL ln such areas as lnfrasLrucLure
lmprovemenL, economlc growLh, demographlc
change, envlronmenLal lmpacL, alLernaLlve energy,
and real esLaLe lnvesLmenL. As Lhe MounLaln WesL
emerges as a new Amerlcan PearLland, lL wlll play an
lncreaslngly slgnlflcanL role ln shaplng naLlonal pollcy
dlscusslons. 8MW provldes a forum for Lhls dlalogue
and offers knowledge-based pollcy soluLlons Lo help
lmprove Lhe quallLy of llfe ln Lhe WesL.

Learn more aL:
0,,12334"##$%&'(5,&6/(,7+&897/:+3


;<$&#68/:'5/&,(
1he auLhor ls lndebLed Lo 8oberL Lang, Mark Muro,
and Wllllam L. 8rown, !r., aL 8rooklngs MounLaln
WesL, all who provlded lnvaluable lnslghLs. Alexandra
nlkollch, 8rooklngs MounLaln WesL, offered valuable
edlLlng and deslgn experLlse.


;4#+, ,0/ ;+,0#"

uavld l. uamore ls an AssoclaLe rofessor ln
Lhe ueparLmenL of ollLlcal Sclence aL
unlverslLy of nevada, Las vegas and a
nonresldenL Senlor lellow ln Covernance
SLudles aL Lhe 8rooklngs lnsLlLuLlon. Pe ls also
developlng currlculum for Lhe recenLly creaLed
8rooklngs Mlnor ln ubllc ollcy offered ln
coordlnaLlon wlLh Lhe 8rooklngs MounLaln
WesL. ur. uamore's research lnLeresLs are Lhe
sLudy of campalgns and elecLlons and publlc
pollcy aL Lhe sLaLe and naLlonal levels. ur.
uamore earned hls h.u. from Lhe unlverslLy of
Callfornla, uavls (2000), hls M.A. from Lhe
unlverslLy of Ceorgla (1993), and hls 8.A. from
Lhe unlverslLy of Callfornla, San ulego (1992) all
ln ollLlcal Sclence.