Governor signs scholarship and health care bills

Jennifer Coleman

Thursday, June 10, 1999 | 9:22 a.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Gov. Kenny Guinn signed "four great bills" Wednesday, making his Millennium Scholarship plan a reality and creating health care programs for senior citizens.

Three of those bills were a compromise with legislators on how to spend $1.2 billion in tobacco settlement money that Nevada expects over the next 25 years.

SB496 created the scholarship plan and will use 40 percent of the settlement money. High school students who graduate with a B average or better will be entitled to get scholarship money to attend schools in the University and Community College System of Nevada.

Democrats initially wanted to prevent students from wealthy families from getting scholarship money, but Guinn opposed any restrictions, saying it would unnecessarily complicate matters.

Democrats succeeded in getting more money to health care and tobacco prevention efforts, which some argue was the intended purpose of the settlement money.

Under AB474, 30 percent of the money will go to various senior services, including a prescription drug proposal advanced by Guinn.

Giunn noted that since Nevada brought this plan forward, the federal government is now considering a similar proposal.

"We're really ahead of the nation on this," he said.

Guinn's SB370 created a "nest-egg protection" insurance plan for senior citizens, so they won't have to spend their savings down to a poverty level before getting Medicaid.

Tobacco settlement funds will also go toward anti-smoking public awareness programs, services for children and disabled Nevadans, and a trust fund for health care programs.

A panel made up of three senators, three Assembly members and three administration representatives will determine which programs in the various health services categories would get a cut of the money.

Guinn also signed SB478, which lowers the amount of money candidates can be fined for violating the state campaigning rules. The limit was dropped to $5,000 from $30,000 originally set by the 1997 truth in campaigning law.

Also, candidates would have to be found in violation by a two-thirds vote of the commissioners.

The bill also expands the Ethics Commission from six to eight members and creates a full-time executive director and a legal counsel for the commission. It's intended to impose a higher ethical standard on the state's political leaders.