More people may be prompting expensive changes in Legislature

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2000 | 11:38 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Expanding Nevada's 63-member Legislature to its full size of 75 could cost $1 million in a two-year period.

Added to that would be an estimated $850,000 in one-time costs to renovate the Senate and Assembly chambers and the offices for the enlarged numbers.

The 2001 Legislature must be reapportioned according to population, giving Clark County more clout. One of the decisions will be whether to add to the number of lawmakers.

Nevada's Constitution puts the limit of legislators at 75.

Expanding the Legislature to the maximum number, while giving Clark County more votes, would allow Washoe and the rural counties to keep the same number of representatives.

Lorne Malkiewich, director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said Wednesday there would be only minimal renovation costs if the lawmakers decided to expand by only one or two seats. But the bigger the number, the higher the cost, he told a legislative committee on reapportionment and redistricting.

The ongoing costs include salaries, travel and per diem for the lawmakers, secretarial help and equipment and the possibility of adding more staff for such activities as research.

The 1990 census counted 1.2 million residents in Nevada. The count this year is expected to be 2,034,020. Clark County had 61.6 percent of the population 10 years ago, but that is expected to rise to 68.5 percent.

Clark County now has 13 of the 21 senators and 26 of the 42 assembly seats.

Charts prepared by the Legislative Counsel Bureau show that if the Legislature remained the same size, Clark County would have 14 seats, one of which would have to be shared with a rural county. Washoe and the remaining rural counties would have seven seats compared with the eight they have now in the Senate.

Based on population estimates, Clark County would have 29 of the 42 seats in the Assembly if there were no expansion.

The charts show that if the Senate were enlarged to 25 members, Clark County would be entitled to 17 seats. A 50-member Assembly would give Clark County 34 posts.

Any way it is shaped, the Clark County delegation, if it stuck together, would have the power to override the veto of a governor.

Reapportionment is expected to be one of the toughest problems of the 2001 Legislature as lawmakers seek districts in which they would be favored to win; Democrats and Republicans try to draw districts to their advantage; and minorities try to get districts that give them a chance for better representation.

The census this year is also expected to expand Nevada's House membership to three from the present two. It would mean Southern Nevada will have two members in the House of Representatives and Northern Nevada one.

The legislative committee will meet again April 26.