Redistricting talks continue

Erin Neff

Monday, June 4, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn is prepared to convene a special session of the Legislature if lawmakers do not reach a deal on reapportionment today.

As of this morning a deal had not been reached -- setting up the possibility that a special session will be needed Tuesday.

Legislative Counsel Bureau Lorne Malkiewich said if lawmakers strike a deal by late morning, it might be possible to finish work tonight. However, if the agreement does not come until mid-afternoon or later, bill drafters will need time Tuesday to finish printing and proofreading the massive and intricate legislation.

Each legislative day costs an estimated $80,000, and the $130 per day stipend for lawmakers would be reinstated if a special session were ordered.

Despite numerous setbacks in the talks throughout Sunday, Democratic and Republican leaders soldiered on early this morning in hopes of reaching a consensus and drafting final plans by tonight's mandated midnight adjournment.

"We're getting to a real critical point," Guinn said early Sunday evening during a visit to the Legislative building. "We're starting to get at the point where if we don't have an answer soon the staff won't have time to compile everything needed."

"We're running out of time, and the governor's ready to call a special session," Sen. Ann O'Connell, chairwoman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, said with a long face just before 10 p.m. Sunday.

Lobbyists who cornered Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, were told, "I'm not giving up any more real estate." Consequently, the two parties appear to be at loggerheads over the plan to carve up the state's Assembly seats.

Democrats have already reportedly agreed to the Republican plan to expand the Legislature from 63 to 69 seats. With the number of seats settled -- 23 Senate and 46 Assembly -- the sides must solve the split between Republican and Democrat districts in both houses, as well as the creation of Hispanic districts.

Leadership from both houses scuttled to see new maps as rank-and-file lawmakers asked reporters whether there was any movement.

After a positive negotiating session, which ended around 1 a.m. Sunday, the process took a slight step backward during a mid-morning committee hearing.

O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, was trying to convene her Government Affairs Committee but was missing Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas. Phone calls, e-mails and even other senators were put to the task of finding O'Donnell because, as it quickly became evident, he was needed to break what would be a 3-3 partisan tie in committee to pass out a Republican plan.

Sen. Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said Democrats would not be supporting an amended version of the Republicans' plan to reapportion the Congressional districts and redistrict the state Assembly and Senate.

When O'Donnell surfaced, he questioned why the committee would want to pass out a partisan plan in light of reported progress behind-the-scenes in the negotiations.

"Everything is still very friendly," O'Connell said. "We feel that we can get this done by the end of tomorrow, but we need a beginning point."

O'Donnell threw a wrench in that plan when he opted to abstain from the vote, which resulted in the 3-3 tie that was anticipated in his initial absence.

Sources said Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, was not happy with the setback and entered the remainder of the day's negotiations in a less upbeat manner.

Just before 10 p.m. Sunday the committee reconvened; O'Donnell had such a change of heart that he moved for approval of the very motion that caused him concern that morning.

As a result, the Republican reapportionment plan for Congress, the Assembly and Senate passed committee, 4-3. This allows bill drafters to at least begin the time-consuming process of creating the necessary legislation.

Other votes Sunday also dragged backward the process of redistricting the University Regents.

The Senate, by a 16-5 vote, approved an amended version of Assembly Bill 664, which dealt with both State Board of Education and Regent districts.

The Assembly had approved maps of 10 State Board districts and 11 Regent districts. But the Senate increased the Regents to a 13-seat board.

"That is totally unacceptable," Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, said Sunday night during a meeting of her Elections, Procedures and Ethics Committee.

The Assembly later voted not to concur with the Senate's amendment, clearing the way for a showdown on that bill either in official conference committee or in behind-the-scenes negotiations.

"We figured that these individuals can't get along with 11, how could they with 13?" Giunchigliani asked.

"If the Senate won't agree to 11, maybe we'll try for 9 or 3 and make them run at large," she added in jest.

With budget bills, tax initiatives and policy decisions about medical marijuana and Internet gaming making headway only during the past two days of the session, reapportionment negotiations had to be conducted on the fly during recesses in floor sessions and late dinner meetings.

When progress was reached on the Senate maps, the leadership quarreled fiercely over the political makeup of Nevada's third Congressional seat.

Every 10 years the Legislature must redistrict the state's political boundaries based on new U.S. Census data.

The big debate this session -- which began long before lawmakers arrived in Carson City -- dealt with the size of the Legislature. Northern Republicans, led by Raggio, urged expansion to protect northern and rural seats.

Southern Democrats wanted to keep the size of the Legislature in tact to force a shift of seats -- and power -- to more populated Clark County.

The final weekend of the session has focused more on what level of power each party should have in the final mix.

A Republican plan for the Assembly, for example, calls for a 26-to-20-seat Democrat advantage statewide. But six open seats proposed for Clark County would give little edge to the Democrats; the largest Democratic voter margin would be 42 to 39 percent.

Guinn said Sunday night it is imperative for the Legislature to resolve the process on its own, without sending the issue to court.

"Their input helps immensely in allocating more Senate and Assembly seats for the Hispanic community," Guinn said. "This is a 10-year span, so it's important that the people who know the state the best devise the plan."

Guinn said he hoped lawmakers would resolve the issue by midnight Sunday to allow time for the appropriate staff to draft the precinct-specific legislation.

"I would hope we could come out of here without a special session," he said.

But in addition to the partisan politics, party infighting also became evident late Sunday.

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, reportedly drew some criticism from his caucus when he discussed a possible deal with the Democrats without consulting others in his party.

Hettrick reportedly agreed at one point, allowing Sharron Angle, R-Reno, and Don Gustavson, R-Sun Valley, to be rezoned into districts with heavy Democratic voter population.

Angle and Gustavson are often the only no votes on Assembly issues, and they sometimes vote against their caucus wishes.

When some Republicans learned of the plan, they were so upset they immediately asked Hettrick for answers.

Still, as Democrat and Republican leaders entered into a second consecutive late-night negotiation session they remained hopeful a resolution would emerge this morning to stave off a special session.

"Are we headed to court on this?" Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, asked during the Government Affairs Committee hearing late Sunday.

"Not if we can help it," O'Connell said.

archive