Fight to the finish: Special session could haunt legislators in re-election bids

Erin Neff

Friday, June 22, 2001 | 3:55 a.m.

Midnight's approach often evokes thoughts of new beginnings, religious experiences or a spooky fright at a children's sleepover.

But as midnight came and went June 4 without the ordained adjournment of the Nevada Legislature, lawmakers entered a witching hour that some believe could come back to haunt them.

"There could be a real anti-incumbency groundswell," Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, said. "The chaotic ending or one thing on its own wouldn't matter, but the session shows a pattern of a self-interested Legislature."

Goldwater, Assembly Taxation Committee chairman, said he thinks 90 percent of the 120-day session went well. But the muddled ending, which forced a unique special session, might be just enough incentive for potential Assembly and Senate candidates next year, he added.

Each of the 63 lawmakers faces some kind of change to his or her district as a result of reapportionment -- the once-a-decade redrawing of political boundaries.

"When you're facing new voters and new constituents, they're going to ask, 'How'd you screw up?' " Goldwater said.

If groups that were largely ignored this session, such as homebuilders and teachers, want to get back at lawmakers for inaction on their needs, Goldwater thinks it's possible.

"Who knows what kind of groups get involved with something like that?" Goldwater said.

The special session, which cost taxpayers $40,000, did little more than approve a political redistricting plan and ratify bills already passed in the original session.

Failed talks

But Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, said she doesn't think the average person has any real concept of how the session got mired in failed reapportionment talks.

"I don't think that voters can relate to the difference lines can make," said O'Connell, Senate's Government Affairs Committee chairwoman and a GOP leader on reapportionment efforts.

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins said reapportionment is an "inside baseball" game that voters don't care about.

"I don't think the issues folks were interested in were tampered with," Perkins, D-Henderson, said.

But as midnight approached June 4, the Legislature had not approved two bills that would fund increased teachers' salaries and was still working on an increase to the Homestead Exemption that could benefit many residents.

Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, sponsor of one of the teacher funding bills, said the end of the session was "kind of a wreck." He watched his measure go through last-minute amendments and end up in a conference committee before clearing both houses.

Still James and O'Connell said people will remember the ultimate outcome more than the disarray.

"Gov. (Kenny) Guinn signed the teachers' salary bills, so there's no issue," O'Connell said.

"Hopefully any 'ill will' will be counterbalanced by the measure we passed for education," James said.

Safety in numbers

Political consultant Kent Oram agrees, saying state lawmakers will enjoy "safety in numbers" when they seek re-election.

"There's enough culpability to go around," Oram said. "Just because the session didn't run the way it could have, you don't see it as an individual thing."

Low-profile lawmakers blame leadership -- the Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans -- for failing to negotiate a workable reapportionment deal. Leaders of one house have lashed out at the other for the delay and minority parties in both houses have tried to blame the majorities.

"I think there was too much bickering on redistricting," Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, Assembly assistant minority leader, said. "We had a new speaker and four- and six-hour stretches on the last day when we weren't doing anything.

"I think that there will be those who paid attention and know it was obvious that we shouldn't have had to go back (for a special session)."

Diane Crane, who moved to Nevada in January from California, said she was surprised by the news she read about the Legislature.

"I'm not registered (to vote) here yet, but it seemed to me that they waste a lot of time," said Crane, who plans to register as a Republican. "I can only name about two bills that actually interested me, and neither of those passed."

Perkins said he thinks the Legislature can take some steps to improve time management and prevent the type of ending that marred many people's impressions of this session.

Better timeline

"One of the things that needs to be addressed is a better timeline," Perkins said.

By pushing up certain deadlines throughout the process, Perkins said he thinks the Legislature will get a jump on issues well before the 120th day.

He also said it may be time to institute a rules committee to decide which of the numerous resolutions the Legislature should consider.

"I do think they eat up too much time," Perkins said of the almost-daily resolutions to honor people and projects.

O'Connell said she isn't sure how to get rid of what some believe are frivolous resolutions and bills.

Despite serving on the committee that heard testimony about the energy crisis and construction defects, O'Connell said she received the most comment on a grandparent visitation bill and a measure to name the mustang the co-state animal.

Life or death situation

"To the people who wanted those bills, it was a life or death situation," O'Connell said.

"How in the world do you make a decision about which bills are the most important when you're talking about government by the people?" O'Connell said.

Several lawmakers said trying to squeeze reapportionment into a 120-day session for the first time led to most of the problems, as some bills were held hostage in the waning moments to ensure a particular redistricting plan was considered.

"I think reapportionment just brings about a whole new set of issues that the public doesn't get involved in," Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said.

Perkins said he is committed to certain reforms that could smooth the process in future sessions.

"The upside is we won't have reapportionment for another 10 years," Perkins said.