Nevada Women’s Lobby willing to give governor chance

Monday, Feb. 8, 1999 | 2:03 a.m.

The group has worked on issues including abortion rights and the repeal of the state's sodomy law on grounds it might unfairly target homosexuals. The NWL also worked on increasing access to health care for Nevada families.

Nevada Women's Lobby started this year's effort by taking a diplomatic approach in its opposition to the budget proposed by the Republican governor.

"I think he deserves a chance to show us what he can do," lobbyist Bobbie Gang said.

"We don't know who this person is, but he expresses a commitment to causes we believe in," she said, referring to many of the educational and children's issues backed by the Women's Lobby.

The group's first news release about the governor was tactfully critical.

Sarah Chvilicek said the lobbying group applauded Guinn's dedication to education "but rather than additional expenditures in furthering charter schools, we would like the governor to ensure that existing institutions are adequate in every way to ensure student access."

Nevada Women's Lobby also said it was concerned about Guinn's surprise program, the "millennium scholarships," where every senior with a B average would qualify for scholarships to a Nevada university or community college.

A news release for the group said, "Acknowledging this is a worthy idea, NWL suggests that K-12 education needs to be improved now so that children in school today can achieve the B grade-point average that will qualify them for the scholarships."

"All children should have a chance to receive these scholarships, not just those whose parents can provide their children with better educational resources."

The group advocated using the funds from a tobacco company settlement for health-related programs such as substance abuse prevention and health care for children.