Legislative session doesn't fare too well on conservative institute's report card

CARSON CITY -- The conservative Nevada Policy Research Institute is disappointed at how quickly legislators and Gov. Brian Sandoval dropped their well-publicized vow for tax reductions once the Nevada Supreme Court released a session-changing decision.

In a report card on the 2011 Legislature released today , institute Deputy Policy Director Geoff Lawrence writes that "the most curious aspect" of the legislative session was "the speed with which Gov. Brian Sandoval abandoned his stance against higher taxes."

It was a turnaround for the institute, which had been mostly complimentary of the governor and his no-new-taxes pledge before the court decision.

Lawrence, who argued his views in front of legislators throughout the session, noted how a May 26 Supreme Court decision forced Sandoval to drop the use of some local government and school district revenues that he had proposed taking to balance his proposed budget. But by that point in the session, state finances had improved, and Sandoval had added $440 million to his initial spending plan, Lawrence said.

In January, the governor proposed state general fund spending of $5.8 billion. But instead of "reverting to a spending level close to the one he initially submitted," Sandoval switched to extending property, business and other taxes that would have expired after June 30, and he backed a $6.24 billion budget, the report said.

In the 2011 Legislative Session Review & Report Card, Lawrence wrote that Sandoval became "curiously unwilling to support a spending level that he had championed just one month earlier." Taxes on citizens and businesses "increased" by 11.5 percent because of the governor's and GOP legislators' change in thinking, Lawrence said, indicating that was because of the sunset taxes that were continued.

"It doesn't make sense not to support a budget that he had proposed," Lawrence said. "We identified several billion dollars in possible savings before the session began. It doesn't make sense to increase spending."

The Las Vegas-based institute had proposed reducing state spending and called for education reforms, such as offering vouchers to families for children to attend schools of their choice and adopting changes that improved student performance in Florida.

Lawrence said that he understands that "out of political necessity," some Republicans and Sandoval might have supported the tax extensions in exchange for reforms but that the reforms they received were not as far-reaching as the institute or the governor had advocated.

Teacher performance will become a factor administrators must consider when making layoff decisions, but vouchers and other education reforms sought by Sandoval were rejected because of "stony resistance from the state teacher union, its allies in the Legislature and other defenders of Nevada's monolithic status quo," Lawrence said.

What pleased him most about the session was that legislators and Sandoval approved a performance-based budget bill proposed by Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks. The new law could lead to spending reductions in coming years as legislators require state agencies to meet performance goals, rather than blindly allowing spending growth each session, he said.

As far as scores for legislators, the institute gave no lawmaker a higher score than the 89.1 earned by Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks. Republicans drew better scores than Democrats, with the highest 26 scores earned by GOP legislators.

The worst-performing legislator, in the institute's rating, was Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, D-Las Vegas. Pierce, who introduced several tax bills, scored 26.5.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.

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Comments

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1. n7v.blogspot.com Jun. 28, 2011 | 7:46 p.m. Report Abuse

   [NPRI] had .. called for adopting changes that improved student performance in Florida.
   
   The BIG Government conservatives hath spoken, although I do agree that Don is the best of the worst.
   
   And what's with NPRI's obsession with Florida? Does Miller own a condo in Ft Lauderdale? They always attribute FL's statistical education improvement to some incidental factor which happens to *absent* in many states which score the same or *higher*.

2. Michael Green Jun. 28, 2011 | 12:58 p.m. Report Abuse

   Tanker, thank you for making a truly important point. Whether we are liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican, we should expect our lawmakers to represent US. WHY have so many in Clark County tolerated their legislators voting to make cuts HERE and not outside of the county?

3. TankerUSMA1975 Jun. 28, 2011 | 11:01 a.m. Report Abuse

   I find it interesting that two Clark County legislators who voted against the removal of sunsets to balance the budget, who voted against the funding of higher ed, who voted against changing the mining tax deductions, and who voted against the funding for K-12 education came out in the top 10. John Hambrick and Barbara Cegavske who forgot that they represent Clark County, the voters of Clark County will remember. Hambrick, a retired Federal law enforcement officer, also introduced legislation at the request of the DA and Chris Collins, the police union head, to stop the new Coroner's Inquest procedure in Clark County. The bill never made it out of committee.

4. Michael Green Jun. 28, 2011 | 8:28 a.m. Report Abuse

   I wonder whether the R-J plans as thorough a story on the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, which isn't in Sheldon Adelson's hip pocket.
   
   Mr. Samuels, reasonable people can disagree about the president and his views. Given that those of my stripe have made nasty comments about George W. Bush, I am not complaining about "Obuma." I could go on about how you are, in my opinion, wrong, and prove that what you present are not facts. But to call him a commie? You really sacrifice any right to be taken seriously when you indulge in silliness like that.

5. Allen.Samuels Jun. 28, 2011 | 7:36 a.m. Report Abuse

   Farquart here is your Commie leader Obuma. At a time when many Americans can barely afford Burger King and a movie, Obama boasts of spending a billion dollars on his re-election campaign. Questioned at a recent appearance about the spiraling fuel costs, Obama said, "Get used to it" - and with an insouciant grin and chortle, he told another person at the event, who complained about the effect high fuel prices were having on his family, to "get a more fuel-efficient car."
   
   The Obamas behave as if they were sharecroppers living in a trailer and hit the Powerball, but instead of getting new tires for their trailer and a new pickup truck, they moved to Washington . And instead of making possum pie, with goats and chickens in the front yard, they're spending and living large at taxpayer expense - opulent vacations, gala balls, resplendent dinners and exclusive command performances at the White House, grand date nights, golf, basketball, more golf, exclusive resorts and still more golf.
   
   Expensive, ill-fitting and ill-chosen wigs and fashions hardly befit the first lady of the United States . The Obamas have behaved in every way but presidential - which is why it's so offensive when we hear Obama say, in order "to restore fiscal responsibility, we all need to share in the sacrifice - but we don't have to sacrifice the America we believe in."
   
   The American people have been sacrificing; it is he and his family who are behaving as if they've never had two nickels to rub together - and now, having hit the mother lode, they're going to spend away their feelings of inadequacy at the taxpayers' expense.
   And don't forget HoHouse Harry and Botox Berkley support him. By the way are you on the dole or a member of SEIU?

6. david.henry Jun. 28, 2011 | 6:56 a.m. Report Abuse

   Is it conservatism? Or should there be something that is really for the people? My feeling is a lot of the bills passed this session were simple, straight forward "line my pocket" bills. I was sickened when those in the tents didn't even know what the budget was, didn't know what would be cut and even sadder when a union member didn't know where to meet up until the two Union Pickups, completely detail wrapped, with rims that would make any pimp happy, showed up on the grounds outside the legislature building. What sad commentary, really, as they stacked the hearings with maybe one person with the talking points well taught to them. Encouraging? NOT.

7. Farquart Jun. 28, 2011 | 4:00 a.m. Report Abuse

   How encouraging. If this bunch of anti-labor suits thinks the session was bad, then it was most definitely good for working people and people who care about fairness. At a time when we're having conservatism shoved down our throats each day by people disguised as liberals, this is refreshing news indeed.