2003 Legislature through the eyes of: Lynn Hettrick

Friday, June 13, 2003 | 6:20 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, says the leadership in both houses treated his GOP members like unwelcome stepchildren.

But the stepchildren have become powerful players. Hettrick's caucus has enough votes to block any tax plan.

When the Legislature comes back to Carson City on June 25 for its second special session, Hettrick wants to change the debate and focus on how the state can trim the budget.

Between now and then, Hettrick and the legislative fiscal analysis staff will be developing new numbers to see if they can come up with something the 19 GOP members can support. But they will be lower than $869 million.

He emphasizes the plan is to scale back some of the enhancements -- or growth -- in the budget and not cut into existing spending programs. Gov. Kenny Guinn has denied requests to reopen the state budget and has resisted any reductions in it.

During the special session that closed Thursday, there were virtually no conversations with leadership about possible compromises.

"The conversations that went on were between the leadership in the two houses, the minority leader said. "They were trying to come up with a plan to fund 869 (million). And since my caucus numbers are significantly below 869, we were not included in those conversations.

"When I walked into those meetings and they started talking 869, I said our guys won't vote for that, so for me to sit here to negotiate the package to fund 869 is fruitless."

He said he doesn't expect a lot of negotiations with leadership during the recess. "I don't think they are going to talk to us until we vote no and prove to them we are not going to pass 869.

"I think they are going to keep working on a plan to fund 869. They are going to agree to some tax package in the next 10 days. They (the Senate) are going to send it over to us and we are going to kill it," he said.

"At that point they are going to throw up their hands and wring them and say, 'Oh, my God. What are we going to do? We didn't think they really meant it,' " Hettrick said. "I can't get through to them."

While he has talked with some of the representatives of Gov. Kenny Guinn, Hettrick said, "I have not been over to the governor's office since five or seven days before the end of the regular session."

He said the GOP Assembly members came out with a plan on the 54th day of the session that they would support. The plan called for a tax increase of $511 million and set forth what could be the mix of taxes.

"We were essentially ignored, and they passed what they wanted to," resulting in the need for $869 million, Hettrick said.