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StumblePublished Friday, June 13, 2008 | 4:34 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 10:15 a.m.
Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas and Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, both say the governor is trying to get the public's attention turned away from his divorce and text messaging controvery.
Buckley said, "It seems the governor is trying to change the topic with his text thing into something else." Leslie said the governor "wants to change the focus from his little foibles" to a special session.
Leslie said the problem can be handled without a special session.
Buckley said 75 percent of the cost-of-living increases will go to school teachers, and the school districts have already signed contracts. She has talked with school officials who are now talking about shortening the school year, a four-day school week or even charging for bus transportation.
"They're scrambling to deal with another cut," she said. "He failed to communicate with the superintendents, blind siding them with another cut and he waited until they already approved their budget for next year," she said. "It defies logic."
The Gibbons' administration is "trying to use this for election purposes," Leslie said.
Both Buckley and Leslie said Gibbons agreed to work with legislators at a high level budget meeting on Thursday. A day later, he calls a special session.
Buckley said a governor generally identifies the problem, develops a solution, works with legislators to reach consensus and then calls the session. This saves both time and money. Buckley said that hasn't happened in this case and it could be a long special session that is limited to 20 days.
Leslie said the legislative leaders met with Gibbons Thursday and there was an agreement to work together to solve the problem. She feels it can be taken care of without a special session. She pitched a plan to convince the federal government to back off a Medicaid regulation that would save Nevada $32 million.
She said state officials should work hard to reverse the government and that would save half the deficit.
Leslie said the governor showed no respect for the lawmakers by not notifying them first.
Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, is backing Raggio in the plan to cancel the 4 percent cost-of-living raise for teachers, university personnel and state workers that goes into effect July 1.
Gansert said that would save laying off 2,000 workers. The state employees got a 2 percent raise last July. Many of them get yearly increases up to 5 percent as they move up the so-called "step" ladder in their job category.
The delay in the cost of living increases "will save a lot of jobs," she said.
Hey Heidi, thanks for having my back, so glad I work for you. I've worked for you for YEARS without getting a step increase. I'm a dedicated, hard-working, loyal State employee and continue to keep abreast with the changes in my profession on my own time with my own $$. Can you beat my two (2) advanced degrees?
There's not a single thing in my (very stretched) budget that has incresed by as little as 4% in the past year. How much of a raise did you get this past year?
Gibbons is taking his frustrations on everyone in Nevada by getting caught walking his willy by wagging the dog.
But his casino advisors are happy.
Of course he is using this as a ploy to keep eyes off his ridiculousness. But should that stop the legislators from leading? I think they should stop their whining. Most of them have been "legislating" longer than he has been "governing"........so this is as much their problem, if not more, than it is his and they ought to be willing to go to work and fix it. And we elected these people, so maybe we are getting what we deserve. No wonder term limits is such a popular idea!