Editorial: Assessing results of Legislature

Wednesday, June 2, 1999 | 10:51 a.m.

There were some notable firsts awaiting the 1999 Legislature when it began in February. This was was the first time that lawmakers met under a voter-imposed, 120-day limit on the length of the legislative session. In the past there was no limit on a session's length; the 1997 session dragged on for 169 merciless days before it finished its business. And Kenny Guinn's election in 1998 meant this was the first legislative session in 16 years that a Republican governor was at the helm of state government. So legislators, especially the Democrat-led Assembly, had to make some adjustments to a new governor.

Reflections on how the public fared during the 1999 Legislature that started off in unfamiliar and uncharted territory:

* Health care. The 1997 Legislature's passage of sweeping HMO reforms set the bar high for any subsequent legislative session, but that didn't stop the 1999 Legislature from building upon this success. The author of the 1997 HMO reforms, Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, was able to get a Cabinet-level, health care ombudsman established. The ombudsman will offer needed relief for patients who have gotten the runaround from their HMOs. In addition, the Legislature also passed common sense insurance mandates, including a requirement that insurance companies pay for birth control. The Legislature also approved legislation mandating that insurers cover some mental illnesses.

* Education. As was the case during Gov. Bob Miller's 10 years as governor, education also was the top priority for Guinn. The new governor set aside 35 percent of the state's budget for K-12 education, which Guinn said was the highest percentage of funding for K-12 in 10 years. Another area where Guinn and the Legislature shined was the creation of a $16 million fund for rural school districts that don't have the means to repair or replace deteriorating schools. As a Sun story documented earlier this year, the condition of some of these rural schools is shocking. There is no reason why children who live in rural Nevada, through no fault of their own, should not be afforded a decent education.

* Ethics. When the 1999 Legislature began it was clear that the state Ethics Commission was at a crossroads. The commission's decisions often created more confusion than guidance. It also was apparent that the lack of funding and manpower for the commission contributed to its lackluster performance. So the Legislature and Guinn approved legislation that makes it abundantly clear what is unethical behavior and also provided enough funding for the commission to hire a full-time executive director, allowing for more thoughtful and timely decisions. The public needs to have faith that its elected officials are ethical and the Legislature's overhaul of the Ethics Commission will aid in that undertaking. The only downside is that the Senate rejected an Assembly bill that would have abolished the commission's authority to levy fines against candidates who make misleading statements. There is no need for a state regulatory agency to oversee the degree of truthfulness in political campaigns. Besides, the Ethics Commission already has a full plate, and maintaining an unneeded responsibility only bogs it down.

* Workers' compensation. Guinn was able to win the Legislature's support for his plan to privatize the state's workers' compensation fund. The Republican-controlled Senate backed Guinn's proposal, but it ran into opposition in the Democrat-led Assembly. In return for its support, the Assembly won concessions from Guinn that allowed benefits to be increased for those who are hurt on the job. Privatization was more a question of when -- not if -- it should happen. It remains to be seen how smoothly Guinn's planned transition will occur.

* Electric deregulation. The 1997 Legislature decided that deregulation would begin Jan. 1, 2000. But the 1999 Legislature fine-tuned the 1997 legislation, making a number of changes. For starters, deregulation will be postponed until at least March 1, 2000. In addition, there will be a cap on electric rates for customers during deregulation's first three years. Deregulation in other industries has been chaotic at times for consumers, so it is good to see the Nevada Legislature ease into deregulation for power companies.

The devil always is in the details, and it remains to be seen whether some of the new programs and legislation will live up to their billing, but so far it appears the public got its money's worth from state lawmakers for the 120 days they met.