Governor signs seven bills passed during special session - News

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Jul. 01, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Governor signs seven bills passed during special session

Most deal with $275 million in budget cuts

By SEAN WHALEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

Nevada Legislature Special Sessions 2008

CARSON CITY -- Seven bills passed in a one-day special session of the Legislature were signed into law Monday by Gov. Jim Gibbons.

Most relate to the need to cut $275 million more out of the current two-year budget.

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The bills, including one cutting school textbook money by $48 million, were passed by lawmakers on Friday.

Gibbons, in remarks accompanying the announcement of the bill signings, said he would have preferred other options to cutting the textbook money for this fiscal year in half, although the money will be restored if tax revenues come in ahead of projections.

"I believe it would be more prudent to have targeted reductions to operating budgets of state agencies and protect these valuable resources," he said. "Still, I commend the Legislature for their willingness to make these difficult choices in these tough economic times."

Gibbons said also he would have liked lawmakers to move forward with a plan advanced by Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki to use the state's tobacco settlement money to back bonds that could help the state weather the current economic downturn.

"By simply providing the permissive language to sell bonds based on this money, the Legislature would allow further consideration of this concept moving forward, should it be deemed necessary," he said. "I believe this option must be kept in mind if our general fund revenue continues to decline."

But Gibbons said the legislative plan was similar to his proposals, and, "it is in this spirit of compromise that I am signing these bills to balance the state budget for the remainder of the current biennium."

He also warned that the cutting of the current budget, now close to $1.2 billion, may not be over if state tax revenues don't recover.

In addition to the textbook cut, lawmakers approved a further 3 percent cut in state and education spending, although the cuts won't be across the board. That will save another $106 million. Lawmakers also took money from a variety of reserve accounts to help balance the budget.

Lawmakers are not expected back in the capital until the regular session begins in February.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Mr.Facetious wrote on July 02, 2008 06:19 AM: Or, Bill, they could just make drugs legal and tax them. There would never, ever be a budget crisis again. wds wrote on July 01, 2008 08:01 PM: Children without school books and now I know why there isnt ever any homework. Eric wrote on July 01, 2008 02:52 PM: Didn't we have a surplus a couple of years ago? Doesn't anybody have any foresight, our governor has got to be the worst I've seen. What ever happened to him being involved with that cocktail waitress, in the garage. How quickly we forget. CP wrote on July 01, 2008 12:44 PM: Hmm, education, sounds like a good place to take money from. Why not send education to China and India with the jobs. Oh wait they get there education here in the states... this is what happens when you base a states income on one economic sourse. maybe actually trying to attract business here other than gaming might be a start. Seems we only have the ability to offer the bad, and no good. hey anybody got some waste they want to store in my yard? I need to supplement my income for my overpriced piece of realestate. In the end we will pay for it, or our children will... BB wrote on July 01, 2008 07:15 AM: Ken, did you loose noney in this deal? Joe wildbill wrote on July 01, 2008 05:42 AM: Nice to see Jimbo around to actually do something. He must have had to take some time off of his social calendar to do so. We should all appreciate that. Now he can get back to the important thing....being a tomcat on the prowl. Go get'em Lovenor! Ken wrote on July 01, 2008 04:59 AM: Didn't Hitler get rid of books in WWII? Didn't the Gustopo police kill its own residents? Didn't Hitler have secret police watching your every move? Now everybody line up for your tatoo number... Funny the similarities in this State, don't you think? Bill wrote on July 01, 2008 03:45 AM: We could have saved tens of millions more by ending or severely curtailing drug prohibition. There have not been any methlab busts in the state of Nevada this year. Check the budget and see how much we're wasting on the lies we've been told about this non-epidemic.