Lawmakers head to LV to discuss redistricting

Erin Neff

Friday, April 20, 2001 | 10:52 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Lawmakers, as they do each week, are flying south this afternoon to spend time with their families.

But today's travel also will involve northern lawmakers, who are coming to town to hear public input on how the Legislature should reapportion Nevada's various political districts.

The first of two scheduled meetings will be tonight at 6, when the Senate Government Affairs Committee hosts a public hearing. A meeting of the Assembly Elections, Procedures and Ethics Committee will occur tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.

The meetings will be held in Room 4401 at the Sawyer State Office Building, 555 E. Washington Ave.

Both meetings are open to the public and will offer residents of Las Vegas their only chance to tell lawmakers how they think the lines should be drawn -- including the state's new Congressional district -- for all political races.

"I think the overwhelming testimony we're going to hear is from the Hispanic population," said Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, chairwoman of the Government Affairs Committee. "I think we'll hear that they want to be better represented."

Every 10 years the Nevada Legislature must redraw district lines for congressional, legislative, university regent and state Board of Education districts statewide.

Recent U.S. Census statistics show Clark County's population boomed in the past decade, bringing its total population to 68.85 percent of the state's total. But growth in the Hispanic population has increased 264 percent in the past decade.

Roughly 20 percent of residents throughout Clark County -- 302,143 people -- identify themselves as Hispanic, according to the census data.

"This is the point for public input on what lines we should consider," said Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, chairwoman of the Elections Committee. "We'll take comments on any of it; minority concerns, the state board of education, Congress, you name it."

One of the key arguments lawmakers will debate before June is whether to increase the size of the Legislature.

Republicans generally favor increasing the size of the current 63-member Legislature to allow the rural Nevada counties of White Pine, Lander, Mineral and Esmeralda to retain representation despite a loss of population during the past decade.

If the Legislature is not expanded Clark County would gain 1.5 seats in the 21-member Senate and three seats in the Assembly.

Democrats, who have the majority in the Assembly, largely prefer keeping the Legislature at its current size. Republicans generally prefer adding two Senate seats and four Assembly seats.

Adding six seats would cost roughly $2 million every two years, mostly to pay staff costs.

"I think it's going to be very interesting for us to hear whether they want us to expand the Legislature," O'Connell said.

She said she favors expansion because it would reduce the size of her massive district to a more workable number of constituents. Legislators have no staff during the interim and must "take a number" for help from the Legislative Council Bureau (LCB) with research on projects or issues that arise when they are not in session.

Lawmakers began hearing comment on reapportionment last night during a joint Assembly and Senate committee meeting in Fallon.

"I think it's important for residents to come," Giunchigliani said. "They can just come and look at the maps if they want."

Each session will begin with remarks from the chairwoman. Presentations from Robert Erickson, research director of the LCB and Scott Wasserman, chief deputy legislative counsel for the LCB, will follow. Public comment will be taken the end of the meetings.

The Legislature must finish its decisions on reapportionment by May 27.