Senate

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers today began a review of the state’s 45-year-old formula for funding public education with an eye towards addressing the needs of the state’s urban districts as they work to educate special education students, English-language learners and children in poverty.

The panel is still searching for funding for a study to help in the review, however. The failure to find private funding for a study could jeopardize any meaningful review in this interim, lawmakers were told.

CARSON CITY – As National School Choice Week gets under way today state officials say Nevada school children have more opportunities than ever before to choose a school that works best for them.

But one element of choice, a school voucher program, remains an unrealized and divisive issue for the state’s policy makers.

CARSON CITY – Reno Republican Assemblyman Pat Hickey was unanimously elected today to be the new GOP Assembly Caucus Leader.

The former minority Leader, Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, stepped down because of his intention to run for the Nevada State Senate in District 19.

Assembly Republicans currently hold 16 seats in the 42-member Assembly, while Democrats control 26 seats.

Hickey, who represents District 25 in Reno, returned to the Assembly in 2010 after an absence of several years.

CARSON CITY – Nevada’s charter school law was strengthened in 2011, seeing its ranking among the states moving to 20th from 23rd as a result, a national group reported this week.

Nevada’s overall score improved from 97 points to 111 out of a potential of 208 points in the report issued Tuesday by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranked 30^th among the states in how it protects animals in 2011, scoring only 25 points out of a possible 66, The Humane Society of the United States said in a national report released today.

Ranking first with 46 points was California, followed by New Jersey and Oregon with 40 points. In last place was South Dakota with eight points, with Idaho second to last with nine points.

CARSON CITY – A state panel today supported a request from the Department of Taxation for $260,000 to hire a team of auditors to track cigarette sales to protect a $40 million a year payment to Nevada from the nation’s major tobacco companies.

CARSON CITY – Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said today he opposes the earmark process used to fund various projects around the country, advocating instead that state priorities for federal support go through a regular budget review.

“The problem with earmarks, when you look at them, it’s symbolic largely, because it’s not that it’s a huge part of the federal budget,” he said. “But a lot of them appear at the end with absolutely no hearings and they are in bills.

CARSON CITY – Washoe County School District Superintendent Heath Morrison has been named a finalist for the 2012 National Superintendent of the Year.

The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) selected Morrison and three other superintendents as the four finalists in the national program.

CARSON CITY – Republican state Senator Michael Roberson said today he expects the GOP to retake control of the Senate in the 2012 general election, citing the quality of candidates recruited for two key Clark County races.

His optimism was countered by Sen. Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, who said he is confident Democrats will maintain control of the Senate come Nov. 7.

CARSON CITY – Starting with the annual campaign contribution and expense reports due Jan. 17, elected officials and candidates must now file their information electronically with the Secretary of State’s office.

State lawmakers say they have not heard of any major concerns with the new requirements from their colleagues.

In his letter to the editor, published in the December 24th Nevada Appeal, William Lepore Sr. admitted to being confused about American history, citing fake quotations from John Adams, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to drive home his point. Go to http://tinyurl.com/Leporequotes for details on these "quotes," or Google "The Right’s Library of Fake Quotes" for the rest of the story on the fictionalization of American history.

Every parent should recognize the childish antics of House Republicans on the payroll tax cut extension controversy.

When my nine-year-old doesn't want to do something, a familiar pattern emerges.

First comes the outright refusal. "No, I don't want to," she will say. It's almost always the most truthful part of the whole exchange.

When she sees that doesn't work, then she backpedals to find some other reason to support her position. "I can't do it now because I'm doing (something else)."

The state's Interim Finance Committee questioned Corrections Director Greg Cox over contradictory plans for running the license plate shop at the Nevada State Prison once the facility closes down. The original plan was for the shop to stay where it is and be run by minimum security inmates. But Cox had also been looking at moving the plant to either the Northern Nevada Correctional Center on the south side of Carson City, or to High Desert State Prison near Las Vegas. He said they didn't currently have the money to make that move.

The IFC also got the final $521,904 bill for the special election to fill Nevada's Second Congressional District seat after Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed Dean Heller to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Ensign.

The IFC also approved funding for 20 of the 30 new positions for the Department of Motor Vehicles approved by the 2011 Legislature. The new positions are supposed to help cut the wait time at DMV offices, which have increased since 85 positions were eliminated due to budget cuts.

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A coalition of organizations is urging the Attorney General's office to reject a multi-state settlement with the banking industry over allegations of widespread falsifying loan documents and other wrongdoing in the wake of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. New York and California have already signaled that they will not sign onto the agreement, and the Attorneys General of Nevada and California recently announced that they will work together to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by the banks.

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The Carson City Board of Supervisors approved an agreement with the Nevada Small Business Development Center at UNR to work together to operate the city's Business Resource Innovation Center, under the leadership of its new director Michael Salogga.

Reading the newspaper this morning is like deja vu. First, there is the story about Carson City being recognized as a top ranked digital city, which we published last month. Then there is the report about the Gardnerville man who was shot by a Douglas County Sheriff's deputy next to his own grave site, an apparent act of "suicide by cop." There's also the story about the fundraiser at J's Bistro to benefit the Dayton Food Pantry that we had yesterday. It reminds me of that line from the movie "All The President's Men" where they talked about a new feature for the paper, yesterday's weather forecast, "for those who got drunk and slept all day."

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In politics, Judge Todd Russell finalized the state's redistricting case, refusing to add language allowing current office holders from using the words “incumbent” or “re-elect” in their campaigns if their districts had changed. None of the parties in the case objected to the new political boundaries, which closes this chapter of political wrangling.

Secretary of State Ross Miller filed a suit to force conservative advocacy group Citizen Outreach to register with the state and file contribution and expense reports. Miller cited that the group ran ads targeting Assembly Speaker John Oceguera during the 2010 election, which means the group must comply with laws governing political activities.

Although Citizen Outreach has not responded to the suit, its president Chuck Muth has a column today attacking Assembly Minority Leader Pete Goicoechea for not being conservative enough. Goicoechea, a Republican from Eureka, announced that he will run for state senate.

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In other news from behind the wall, Lisa Hoeppner will represent Carson City in the upcoming Mrs. Nevada-America Pageant in Las Vegas, Local's BBQ has closed its doors, and there is a club for table tennis fans in town.

Have a great Friday!

Film buffs will recall the terror with which the young Vito Corleone’s friends talked of The Black Hand, an invisible but palpable organization whose wrath was universally feared.

Far be it from me to suggest Godfather Harry Reid helms a criminal enterprise as Don Fanucci did in “The Godfather: Part II.” But recent events only reconfirm that the Senate majority leader’s unseen hand controls all within the Democratic Party with a ruthlessness and efficiency that La Cosa Nostra would envy, striking terror into all Democrats within his domain.

Potential Democratic candidates for the Nevada Legislature are continuing their game of musical chairs.

First, Assemblywoman Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, announced in an email Friday that she had changed her mind and will not run for the soon-to-be vacant Senate District 4 seat now held by congressional candidate Steven Horsford.

Veterans In Politics International, Inc. presents the Veterans Valentines Ball and Gala, hosted by the Plaza Hotel and Casino, 1 South Main Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89101
Guests will be received by: Crowned members of the Miss Nevada Organization including Miss Nevada 2011 Alana LeeMrs. Clark County United States 2012 Melissa Jeanne Arias
— Opening Ceremonies to be performed by Nellis Honor Guard
— National Anthem will be performed by Miss Vanessa Bayot
— Masters of Ceremonies are Miss Rowena Richards of Shine Foundation, and Mr. Les Krifaton of Fox 5

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Democrat Shelley Berkley found herself on a recent Friday night begging a roomful of Hispanic high school students to elect her to the U.S. Senate as a teenage mariachi band stood ...

He doesn't smoke or drink or swear. He was an Eagle Scout and the state PTA president. His priority is being a good father for his five children and a good husband for Susan, his wife of 28 years.

And at a time when the ethics and credibility of politicians seem to be waning, this man is a politician who espouses principles, a politician rising quickly in clout in Nevada.

State Sen. Moises "Mo" Denis, D-Las Vegas, is the shoo-in to become the Democratic leader and probable majority leader of the state Senate during the next legislative session in 2013.

Tonight if you see your state senator and a lobbyist dining on Châteaubriand and drinking red wine in a fine Las Vegas restaurant, it's a safe bet they aren't going Dutch treat. The lobbyist will pick up the tab and no one ever will know he did.

With much fanfare in April, legislative leaders called for approval of a plan to make government more transparent to Nevadans. A few weeks later, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to require lobbyists to report their year-round expenditures on legislators.

Local Author, Sandie La Nae, is having a signing for her new "Silver Ghosts Haunted Places and Phantom Encounters in Northern Nevada" book, co-authored with pioneer paranormal investigator, Richard Senate, at the historical St. Charles Hotel.
Also for purchase, the accompanying "Video Journey" CD of the St. Charles Hotel - which has footage, pictures, EVP and stories of paranormal findings by Thin Veil Investigators, the Paranormal Investigative team Sandie is associated with.

Here we go - the bicycle feud is starting. I predicted this when I saw that Senate Bill 328 had passed. I had heard grumblings but paid little attention until recently. One might ask, what is this ...

Some things seem so obvious after they've been pointed out to you. I was pointed to a Web file from a Boston writer, Glenn MacDonald, a quantitative analyst using quantitative statistical methods, that has a fascinating study of Boston area public schools. After much study of Boston Magazine's ranking of 135 schools, he came up with a load of mistakes that no publication should ever make.

CARSON CITY – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto has joined with her Utah counterpart Mark Shurtleff  in asking the U.S. Senate to take up consideration of Rich Cordray’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

The legislative and congressional district maps drawn by the three Special Masters make dramatic changes in the current lines, appearing to nest two assembly Districts in each state Senate distr...

CARSON CITY – The three special masters appointed by Carson City District Judge James Todd Russell to redraw Nevada’s political boundaries wasted no time on the charge, filing their report and proposed maps with the court today.

The legislative and congressional district maps drawn by the three Special Masters make dramatic changes in the current lines, appearing to nest two assembly Districts in each state Senate district...

CARSON CITY – State Treasurer Kate Marshall today announced the appointees to the board of the Nevada Capital Investment Corporation (NCIC), a new group charged with overseeing the investment of school funds to improve returns while promoting economic development statewide.

CARSON CITY – Last week it was a dispute about the Small Business Jobs Act and whether it will create any jobs in Nevada that generated controversy between the two major party candidates for the U.S. Senate.

I see we survived another possible government shutdown by the Senate, by only a hair's breadth, and it took less game-playing this time to reach that goal. Let's see what the Republican House does....