Gibbons

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera said yesterday he will pursue a number of transparency measures in the 2011 legislative session with an eye towards providing the public with accountability and confidence in how the state spends taxpayer dollars.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – More than 250 new bill requests were filed for drafting last week by lawmakers and others on issues ranging from requiring health insurance plans to cover acupuncture treatments to implementing a four-year cooling off period before former lawmakers could work as lobbyists.

CARSON CITY – Budding Las Vegas artist Alex Krasky was not selected to paint the official portrait of out-going Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons for display in the state capitol, but he is going ahead with his canvas anyway with the hopes of personally presenting his work to the governor.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – A plan released today by Democrat governor candidate Rory Reid on how to balance the Nevada state budget without raising taxes received some praise from a free market think tank even though many questions remain, including whether the proposal includes an overly optimistic prediction of future tax revenue growth.

CARSON CITY – A Nevada group that offers training to non-union construction workers has sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford alleging an improper pro-union bias by some members of the State Apprenticeship Council.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons said today he wants to see what strings are attached to the $82 million approved by Congress this week to hire teachers in Nevada before agreeing to accept the funds.

CARSON CITY – A proposal by an out-going Nevada lawmaker to officially recognize an alternate pronunciation of the name of the state as an acceptable second-choice has generated a lot of comment, with most residents not surprisingly opposed to the idea.
But some of those posting comments on various news sites also support the idea that maybe Nevadans should be more tolerant of those who “mispronounce� the state’s name.
Others have suggested the resolution sought for drafting by Assemblyman Harry Mortenson, D-Las Vegas, is a waste of time and money.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons and representatives of 19 other states today filed a response challenging the federal government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the federal health care law.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – State Budget Director Andrew Clinger yesterday painted a bleak picture of Nevada’s next two-year spending plan, saying under current tax and spending levels every single program and agency except for education would have to be eliminated to balance the budget.

It appears that the report on the City Center/Nugget Project slated to be presented at the end of this month will be delayed another 30 days.

According to an email from City Manager Larry Werner, the city and P3 Development need more time to look at issues "related to parking garages, ownership, land use issues, utilities and a myriad of other questions."

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Members of the Nevada Homeland Security Commission expressed concern today that the state does not appear to have a coordinated effort or designated person to deal with the ever-growing threat of cybercrime.

CARSON CITY – Nevada officials are racing the clock to get their full share of federal foreclosure relief dollars.
Some states and local governments elsewhere around the country are at risk of losing millions in foreclosure relief funds. But officials with the state of Nevada and local government entities who are managing the programs say they are on track to obligate their full allotments by September deadlines.
Even so, several Nevada officials said the funds are only a drop in the bucket to address Nevada’s foreclosure crisis.

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons announced the appointment today of Caleb Cage as the executive director of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services.

Cage presently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor/Rural and Veterans Issues for Nevada Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki.

Cage attained the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army, serving in Iraq as recently as 2006. Captain Cage was awarded the Army’s Bronze Star Medal for his service in Iraq. He is a 2002 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons today appointed his chief of staff to serve on a panel that oversees planning and environmental issues at Lake Tahoe.

CARSON CITY – A new tax amnesty program initiated July 1 by the Nevada Department of Taxation has brought in $3.4 million in previously uncollected revenue through Tuesday, with just over two more months to go.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s taxable sales fell 1.9 percent in May over May 2009, a decline following April which saw the first positive month for the economic indicator in 20 months, the state Department of Taxation reported today.
May statewide taxable sales totaled $3.1 billion compared to $3.2 billion in May 2009.

CARSON CITY – Nevada failed to make the cut today in its quest to win as much as $175 million in competitive federal funds to improve student achievement, but the details of why won’t be known until next month.
The failure to make the cut occurred even though Gov. Jim Gibbons created a blue ribbon panel to oversee the application process and the state hired a consultant to help finalize Nevada’s grant application.

CARSON CITY – The major funding gaps Nevada and other states have been forced to address in their current budgets will continue in the next cycle even as tax revenues finally begin to show signs of life, a national report released today says.
Signs of “delicate” revenue improvement will be offset by the loss of federal stimulus funds, posing ongoing challenges to lawmakers in 2011 and beyond, says the report from the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL).

CARSON CITY – Thousands of unemployed Nevadans will soon see their jobless benefits restored with final Congressional approval Thursday of a six-month extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program.

Former Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, who guided Nevada from January 1999 through the end of his second term in 2006, died this morning of a heart attack in Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

CARSON CITY – A firm hired by the Nevada Legislature to produce a report on the state’s revenue structure has been sent a notice of default for failing to turn in the document by a July 1 deadline.
Lorne Malkiewich, director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said the notice was sent Wednesday to Moody’s Analytics, the contractor hired to perform the study. The company has 10 days to respond by producing the final report or the contract will be terminated, he said.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s transparency website, where taxpayers can go to examine details of spending by state agencies, still does not include a critical component that would make the information more useful.
Budget limitations have put a plan to put contract information on the site in a searchable format on hold, said state Budget Director Andrew Clinger.