2003 Legislature through the eyes of: Bill Raggio

Friday, June 13, 2003 | 6:18 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, suggests the courts could end up developing a tax plan for Nevada if the Legislature continues its impasse.

Allowing the lawmakers to go home until June 25 may give "external forces" or pressure groups more of a chance to lobby against a tax plan, he said.

"I'm disappointed. I'm not discouraged. I've been here for 30 years and I've had the same situations but not this serious," he said Thursday night after the close of the special session.

"Maybe some people need to step back and understand the consequences of not reaching an accord. I think they will be serious.

"There can come a day when we can't decide, when somebody else can decide, and that will be a court. I don't think the people of this state want their tax plan fashioned by a court," the majority leader said.

The Senate put together tax plans but could not get the 14 votes or two-thirds necessary for passage. While he said he didn't want to assess blame, Raggio asked, "Why didn't they (the Assembly) develop their own plan. Why didn't they work across party lines down there? I guess you will have to ask the speaker," referring to Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson.

Asked if giving time off to the lawmakers might allow lobbyists additional time to work against a tax plan, Raggio replied, "You answered your own question. That may have been part of the problem we had here."

The Senate passed a bill to send $1.6 billion to school districts over the next two years. But the bill was delayed in the Assembly when leadership decided to fold a tax plan into the legislation. They wanted to force a vote on education along with taxes, feeling it had a better chance of passage.

Raggio said every effort was made to accommodate senators in developing the tax package. "Some weren't willing to participate. Some just said 'I'm not going to vote for anything.' That's fine. But that doesn't help fund education. It doesn't help fund higher education. It doesn't help the impression people have of this state."

While some of the lawmakers who blocked the tax plan and the school funding argued that new and increased taxes would deter businesses from locating in Nevada, Raggio said he thinks "it might be a disincentive if (businesses) think we don't have any funding for schools.

"If everybody comes over here and takes a hard stand on some principle, it might sound good but it doesn't help this state survive and it doesn't help education, and that's the primary concern I have and most legislators have."

While not mentioning names, Raggio apparently was referring to some Republicans in the Senate and the GOP bloc in the Assembly who have opposed any effort to raise the estimated $860 million needed over the next two years.