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Nevada Legislature 2013

  • Attendees at the Nevadans for the Common Good listening forum on The Vulnerable Elderly discuss personal thoughts about the issues that face seniors as they age in the community. The gathering was held at the Ner Tamid Synagogue on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013.
    Community coalition identifies next target of concern: Helping the valley's seniors
    Nov. 24, 2013
    By Tovin Lapan
    The super-charged growth years of the early 2000s brought shinier, grander casinos, rapid housing expansion, new jobs and a lot of seniors to Nevada. As the number of retirees in Nevada continues to climb, one local organization has begun taking a hard look at issues the elderly face.
  • Nevada Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, R-Reno, left, talks with lobbyist Rocky Finseth at the Legislative Building Carson City on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.
    Assembly Republicans in disarray after repeated gaffes
    Nov. 4, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    Nobody’s very happy with Nevada’s Assembly Republicans these days. Not even Nevada’s Assembly Republicans.Two controversial statements about slavery and minorities from GOP members of the Assembly in the past few months have sparked outrage among Republicans and Democrats alike and have left elected Assembly Republicans planning how best to make an exit from their recent adventures in political gaffe land.
  • Think you know Nevada politics? Check out these myths
    Oct. 28, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    Many of the folks who popularized the conventional wisdom often did so decades ago, and new trends, new issues, and new influences have the possibility to matter more than the common tropes and truisms about Nevada politics repeated in conversations and in the media.
  • Medical marijuana is shown in a home in this 2010 file photo.
    Big money clamoring for a piece of Nevada's medical marijuana pie
    Oct. 13, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman,
    Conor Shine
    They’ve got a lot of money and a big plan to peddle marijuana throughout Clark County. But they’re not a drug cartel pushing pot on the streets. They’re high profile lawyers, consultants and investors.
  • Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore inspects the product and learns about the different uses for and varieties of marijuana during a trip to a dispensary in Arizona on Friday, March 22, 2013.
    State senator wants pardons for medical marijuana card holders
    Oct. 13, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, wants to pardon felony convictions for marijuana possession and sale for some Nevadans.
  • People outside the East Sahara Avenue Department of Motor Vehicles office.
    Lost in translation: Immigration advocates raise issues with regulations for driver's authorization cards
    Oct. 9, 2013
    By Tovin Lapan
    The establishment of a Nevada driver’s authorization card, mainly for use by immigrants in the country illegally, is wrapped up in debate over who will translate required documents and concerns the Department of Motor Vehicles will unwittingly create a fertile field for fraud.
  • New law helps victims make safe getaway from abusive relationships
    New law helps victims make safe getaway from abusive relationships
    Oct. 6, 2013
    By Jackie Valley
    The Nevada Legislature this year passed what is known as the “safe getaway law,” which allows for the early termination of rental agreements involving victims of domestic violence, under certain circumstances. The law seeks to unburden domestic-violence victims from a common financial worry — breaking a lease — that often serves as a barrier preventing their escape. Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores and Assemblyman Elliot Anderson, both D-Las Vegas, sponsored the bill, which won the Legislature’s approval, was signed into law by Gov. Brian Sandoval and went into effect July 1.
  • Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, passes an aide in his office. In the background is a poster from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."
    State senator calls out Craigslist for prescription drug sales
    Sept. 23, 2013
    By Cy Ryan
    Deaths from overdoses of prescription narcotics has "reached an epidemic," says state Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, who is urging a California company to curtail its online sale of the drugs.
  • Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky teaches a game to kindergarten students during the first day of school at Cambeiro Elementary School in 2013. It's a "Zoom" school that receives additional state money and resources to help students who don't speak English, and a weighted funding formula just introduced in the Legislature would expand such support to qualifying students at all public schools.
    Here's some of what's new this year in CCSD
    Sept. 3, 2013
    By Paul Takahashi
    The nation’s fifth-largest school district has a new superintendent, who is experimenting with some new ideas this year. These new initiatives include special schools to help English-language learner students and reintroducing year-round schedules to alleviate crowding in some schools.
  • Defense attorney uses mandated legislative study in bid to toss capital charges against four clients
    Defense attorney uses mandated legislative study in bid to toss capital charges against four clients
    Aug. 28, 2013
    By Bethany Barnes,
    Jackie Valley
    Several alleged killers’ lives could be spared if Las Vegas judges rule in favor of defense requests to drop the prosecution’s bid for the death penalty. The motions come in light of the Nevada Legislature's approval of a bill that calls for an audit of the state death penalty.
  • Former Nevada assemblyman, newspaper columnist Bob Thomas dies
    Aug. 15, 2013
    By Cy Ryan
    Former Nevada Assemblyman and newspaper columnist Bob Thomas died Aug. 10 in Carson City. He was 87.
  • State committee denies North Las Vegas money transfer
    Aug. 6, 2013
    By Cy Ryan
    A state committee on local government temporarily turned aside a request by financially-troubled North Las Vegas for access to an additional $4.3 million for its budget this fiscal year.
  • A man walks past a sign directing voters to a polling location at Fremont Middle School gym Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
    Control of the state Senate hinges on these three races in Southern Nevada
    Aug. 4, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    Republicans who battled Democrats at the state Legislature earlier this year now are shifting the fight to the ballot box.
  • Dr. Kim Metcalf the new dean of the UNLV College of Education photographed on the campus of UNLV in Las Vegas on Tuesday, July 16, 2013.
    UNLV's new education dean sets sights on raising college's profile
    July 24, 2013
    By Paul Takahashi
    Kim Metcalf has big plans for UNLV's College of Education. The new education dean wants the university to maintain its standing as the top producer of teachers in Nevada and continue building its reputation as a solid teacher preparation program. Metcalf also believes UNLV should become the place where state leaders turn for credible information about Nevada's schools and education policies as they try to improve the state's schools.
  • Local governments spend $3 million to lobby Legislature — for tax increases
    Local governments spend $3 million to lobby Legislature — for tax increases
    July 24, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    The party’s over, and now the bills come due. Local governments in Nevada spent more than $3 million this year lobbying the state Legislature, according to reports filed with the Department of Taxation at the conclusion of each 120-day legislative session.
  • Funding boost for English-language learners prompts some backlash
    July 21, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    For some, the state’s $50 million in new spending for English-language learners smacks of special treatment and seems like an unjust, unfair burden on taxpayers who must subsidize the education of a select group of outsiders.
  • Majestic Realty partner Craig Cavileer packs up a cutaway model of the UNLV Now stadium project after the Nevada System of Higher Education's Board of Regents meeting on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013.
    Majestic shelves 'Plan B' for UNLV football stadium
    July 18, 2013
    By Paul Takahashi
    Majestic Realty's plans to build an off-campus UNLV football stadium have been scrapped. After UNLV nixed its partnership with Majestic in March, the Los Angeles-based developer entered into an exclusive agreement with Wells Fargo Bank to purchase 40 acres of privately-owned land at the corner of Koval Lane and Tropicana Avenue.
  • Manda Kristof teaches a fifth grade writing class at Ferron Elementary School in Las Vegas on Wednesday, October 31, 2012.
    Survey places Silver State in bottom 10 on per-pupil education spending
    July 17, 2013
    By Paul Takahashi
    Nevada ranks 44th in the nation among states in per-pupil spending on education, according to a national report released Tuesday. The National Center for Education Statistics, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Education, analyzed public school expenditures and revenue in 50 states and Washington, D.C.
  • Teachers Ashley Nebe, left, and Jodi Wilde helps students during summer school class Friday, July 5, 2013 at Clark High School
    Conservative think tank, teachers union continue battle over union opt-outs
    July 14, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman,
    Paul Takahashi
    The Nevada Policy Research Institute wants teachers in the Clark County School District to know they can leave their union between July 1 and July 15, and they’ve been publishing instructions about how and why teachers should consider writing an “opt-out” letter to rescind their union memberships.
  • Sheriff Doug Gillespie speaks on the Metro Police budget during a county commission meeting at the Clark County Government Center Tuesday, April 16, 2013.
    Commissioners question Metro's plans for 'More Cops' tax money
    July 2, 2013
    By Joe Schoenmann
    Sheriff Doug Gillespie faced tough questions in his appeal to county commissioners for a bump in the sales tax that could be used to hire more officers and fill potential gaps in the Metro Police budget.
  • Nevada Power's Reid Gardner coal-fired plant is shown in April 2007.
    The anatomy of a legislative power play: How NV Energy will exit coal and make money doing it
    June 30, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    How Nevada's new state law mandating NV Energy exit the coal business came to being illustrates how money, business interests and the right friends will dictate energy cost and policy for every Nevadan for the next decade. And U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and state Sen. Kelvin Atkinson led the charge.
  • State budget to restore employee pay, reduce class sizes
    June 29, 2013
    By Cy Ryan
    State workers will have get their 2.5 percent pay cut restored, kindergarten classes will get smaller for the next school year and efforts will begin to prepare for a big influx of low- and middle-income people to apply for medical services. The state budget adopted by the Legislature goes into effect Monday.
  • Some Nevada employers confused by one-time assessment to repay feds
    June 27, 2013
    By Cy Ryan
    State legislators are fielding questions from unhappy or misinformed businesses who are about to get hit with an increased assessment on their unemployment tax. “There’s a lot of misinformation” on the issue, said Sen. Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, the chairwoman of the Legislative Interim Finance Committee.
  • Crews film a scene from the foreign film "The Gambler" at the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas.
    Who will enjoy tax breaks for the film industry? Not who you think
    June 27, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    It turns out big movie producers aren’t the only ones to benefit from Nevada’s new film tax credit law. Large casinos or big businesses that owe insurance, payroll or gaming taxes to the state also win under the new law.
  • Lawmaking, Nevada style: Gambling on tax breaks to reap future revenue
    June 23, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    During Session 2013, legislators authorized hundreds of millions of dollars in potential tax breaks, most of which will benefit large businesses and organizations. The gamble for the state is this: Pay for schools, public safety, roads and other services now, or give some money away in hopes that the businesses receiving tax breaks will bring even more money to the state in future years.
  • Metro Police Deputy Chief Gary Schofield points to himself in a 1985 police academy graduating class photo during a tour of the Metro Police training facility Wednesday, June 19, 2013. With the recent passage of the "More Cops" bill, Metro Police announced they will soon hold the first police academy since January 2012.
    With 'More Cops' legislation OK'd, Metro moving to fill ranks
    June 20, 2013
    By Jackie Valley
    Sheriff Doug Gillespie’s announcement this week that a police academy — the first one in more than a year — would start in July brought a couple dozen hopefuls to the Metro's training center Wednesday morning.
  • The Legislative Building is reflected in the window of a bar and restaurant across the street on the fifth day of the 2011 legislative session Friday, February 11, 2011 in Carson City.
    Post-session, interim work keeps Nevada legislators busy, paid
    June 19, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    The 120-day legislative session ended this month, and now it’s time for the Legislature to start studying.
  • DMV feels major impacts from Legislature
    June 18, 2013
    By Cy Ryan
    The Legislature has left town but the state Department of Motor Vehicles is gearing up to deal with almost 100 new laws including driver privilege cards for illegal aliens, renewal of licenses after eight years instead of four and a crackdown on out of state businesses that don‚t register their vehicles.
  • Plea on table would put ex-assemblyman Brooks behind bars for 20 months
    June 18, 2013
    By Bethany Barnes
    More California court dates have been set for former Nevada Assemblyman Steven Brooks on charges stemming from a car chase and police confrontation in March.
  • Legislature, Sandoval passed the buck on tax increases to counties
    June 16, 2013
    By Andrew Doughman
    It may seem like a riddle, but the Legislature effectively voted to raise taxes this year without ever really voting to raise taxes. That’s because legislators in several cases circumvented the two-thirds majority requirement to raise taxes and instead dumped the political toxicity of a tax vote on county commissions, whose members will vote on legislatively authorized taxes this year.
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