Bill draft proposes new state name

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- An anonymous request for a bill draft designed as a joke is proving to be no laughing matter in the cash-strapped capital.

The request, submitted at the request of an outside interest by a lawmaker who chose to remain anonymous, seeks to change the name of the state to East California, would make the Beatles' "Tax Man" the state song and would designate a "RINO" as the state animal.

"RINO" stands for "Republican in name only," and the proposal is seen as a direct, albeit anonymous, jab at GOP Gov. Kenny Guinn and his $1 billion tax increase proposal.

"You don't use a bill draft to take a slap at the governor, or any other legislator," Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said.

But Buckley was more incensed that what she termed a "childish" act could end up costing the state time, money and resources.

"These get drafted and they cost money," Buckley said.

Guinn's spokesman, Greg Bortolin, said the anonymous request was a form of "cowardice" and added: "In these tough economic times, it's a waste."

Guinn has come under fire, largely from within his own party. With several lawmakers and residents recently referring to the "Californication" of Nevada, many believed BDR 1158 could be traced in some way to Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas.

Beers denied the bill draft request was his and said that although he had suspicions of who might have submitted the request, those he suspected also denied involvement.

He did not elaborate.

When phoned, Dan Burdish, a GOP activist from Las Vegas, immediately named the BDR number in response to a query about the request.

"You mean 1158?" Burdish said. "It's a joke. They put it in and asked that it not be written as a bill.

"There's no time being spent on it," Burdish said. "From what I understand, it's a committee of lawmakers who are behind it."

Burdish said he had no objections to a joke poking fun at something that Nevada lawmakers often seem to highlight in testimony.

"It's part of the lexicon here in Nevada," Burdish said. "You talk about the Californicating of proposals when in reality we're a much different state with a different tax base and a different population."

Burdish said he did not like the "RINO" reference because "that kind of personalizes it."

Burdish is active in the Republican Liberty Caucus, a group headed by George Harris, who has a website attacking Guinn's tax proposal.

At www.axetheguinntaxes.com, Harris wields an axe and proclaims certain heroes and villains in the tax debate. Guinn is "public enemy number one" on the website.

Harris said Monday he had not heard about BDR 1158.

Harris, Burdish and Beers worked together in the past to challenge the election of Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, in a case of alleged voter fraud.

Beers has recently drawn Guinn's ire for an e-mail message to a constituent. In it the assemblyman decried service workers for failing to value education.

But Beers is hardly Guinn's only legislative critic. Several state senators, including Ann O'Connell and Barbara Cegavske, both Las Vegas Republicans, and Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, have been outspoken critics of the tax proposal.

Lorne Malkiewich, executive director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said he did not know which lawmaker submitted the bill draft. He also said he did not know whether the bill draft request was earmarked not to be written.

"They want to be anonymous and even if I did know who it was, I couldn't tell you," Malkiewich said.