Editorial: Tracking winners … and losers

Wednesday, June 6, 2001 | 8:40 a.m.

After 120 days, the 2001 Legislature finally wrapped up its business as midnight approached on Monday. Well, almost. At least one matter the Legislature couldn't resolve in its chaotic finish was a partisan impasse over how to draw boundaries for a new congressional seat. That means Gov. Kenny Guinn will convene a special session of the Legislature to handle the vexing issue of reapportionment and possibly tie up other loose ends, too, including key budget measures.

Regarding the rest of its work, this Legislature won't be remembered for having made any sweeping changes. Then again, this Legislature also doesn't appear to have passed legislation that produced a substantial amount of harm, either. For that matter, since Gov. Kenny Guinn is likely to run for re-election in 2002, the governor refrained from pursuing an agenda that could result in political peril, which also aided in the creation of a bland session.

It will take weeks, possibly months, to sort out how all the legislation that passed will impact the state's residents. But even at this early stage there is enough known to glean who came out on top, and who fell to the bottom of the heap, on some of the weightier issues. Herewith is a sampling of the winners and losers from the 2001 edition of the Nevada Legislature:

Loser: Public education. Measurements consistently show this state lags behind others in providing the necessary funding to deliver the kind of quality education deserving of our children in kindergarten through 12th grade. State lawmakers and the governor failed to show leadership, which could have involved politically dicey decisions, that would have enabled our state's children to get the type of education that residents from other prosperous states receive.

Winners: The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and other business groups were able to derail any serious talk of raising taxes on businesses to pay for critical needs, such as education or other important state programs offering social services. But this could be a Pyrrhic victory if enough public resentment builds that results in a voter initiative that could raise taxes even more than what fleetingly had been considered during the legislative session.

Loser: The Legislature also left the state's wobbly tax structure intact, resulting in the state budget continuing to rely heavily on volatile funding sources, such as sales taxes and gaming revenues. This means that effective long-term budgeting for needs is next to impossible.

Winner: The casino industry's lobbyists got their way on nearly all legislative issues before the Legislature. They even were able to get legislative leaders to go along with a parliamentary maneuver that prevented an Internet gaming bill from being amended. This was a sorry spectacle of the Legislature once again allowing itself to be led around by this influential industry.

Losers: Residential ratepayers. While it was positive that early on the Legislature shelved electric deregulation, it was disappointing that legislators later created a loophole for casinos and mining companies, allowing them to shop around for their power. It was unfair of the Legislature to deny the same opportunity to small consumers, which prevented them from banding together in one large group and also getting lower rates for electricity.

Winners: Seniors won when Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn and Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, put aside partisan differences and significantly increased the benefits offered by a state prescription drug plan. Still, not all seniors will be helped since the state doesn't have the kind of money, which Congress does, to make a huge impact. Indeed, the prescription drug benefit is an issue that points out that while state lawmakers have the potential to be a significant force to better people's lives, even the Legislature can only do so much.