Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 11:05 a.m.
He might be slightly miscast as Newt Gingrich, but Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick hopes a new "Contract with Nevada" will put the Assembly firmly in the hands of Republicans.
Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, announced a seven-point platform Thursday with about 30 caucus members and Republican Assembly candidates. It focuses on limited government, tort reform and prioritizing water resources.
Winning the Assembly can be done, Hettrick said, by convincing Nevadans that a Republican Assembly would be effective and focus on the issues they care about -- the issues outlined in the "Contract with Nevada."
"The Legislature is not addressing issues that are important to Nevadans," Hettrick said.
The slate of action includes: No new taxes, a cap on property taxes, a focus on water issues, audits of education performance, a limit on government growth, and a change in of medical malpractice and construction defect laws.
The idea is based on the plan Gingrich, a former speaker of the House, laid for his House caucus in the 1990s.
To win the Assembly majority, Hettrick would need to retain the 19 Republican seats and pick up another three seats. Republicans have had the majority only three times since 1969.
Republican Assembly members would support new taxes if they were passed by the people, including the proposed sales tax in Clark County to increase the number of Metro Police officers, Hettrick said.
The caucus also promised to change medical malpractice laws even if the "Keep our Doctors in Nevada" ballot question fails in November. The initiative would cap pain and suffering damages at $350,000.
Hettrick said he respects the will of the people but is concerned that trial lawyers against the measure will cloud the issue in the upcoming election.
The laws recently passed to control medical malpractice suits -- as well as construction defects -- haven't done enough to drive down costs caused by frivolous lawsuits, Hettrick said.
"Doctors are continuing to leave the state," said Assemblyman Garn Mabey, R-Las Vegas, a medical doctor. "The legislative bills haven't worked to keep our doctors in Nevada."
Perhaps one of the most significant proposals would allot more than $110 million of the projected $150 million surplus to give rebates to property owners who take out their lawns in favor of desert landscaping. That program could save 24,000 acre feet of water -- about 8 percent of Nevada's Colorado River allotment, Hettrick said.
Brian Packer, a Republican challenging Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, D-Las Vegas, in District 3, said the plan promises voters, "get us in power and this is what we're about."
"It's that simple," he said.
The well-guarded plan has been in the works for months. Several caucus members said it was crafted after the caucus completed extensive polling and focus groups to determine what issues were weighing on voter's minds.
"Just look what's happened in Nevada politics," said Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, one of the so-called "Mean Fifteen" who held out on votes to increase taxes in the last legislative session. Angle also circulated a petition to cap property taxes in the state constitution.
"People don't trust the Legislature," Angle said. "They need something to trust."
Democratic Assembly leaders chided the plan, saying some of the proposals are "old news."
"There's very little to take issue with," said Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson. "My suggestion is these are yesterday's issues. I look forward to working with my colleagues across the aisle and actually bringing some civility back to the Legislature."
The Legislature already has changed medical malpractice and construction defect laws, Perkins said. And Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill last session that commissioned a K-12 performance audit which is due out soon, Perkins said.
Perkins and Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, also have requested bills to cap property taxes.
Republican candidates running against Democratic incumbents were given the plan shortly before a Thursday afternoon press conference, but several said they were happy to sign on because the ideas aligned with their own.
"The whole reason why I got into this race was the whole status quo was unacceptable to me," said Republican candidate Kris Munn, who is running for Assembly District 18.
A new Republican mail piece will be targeted at key Assembly races featuring a cranky man smoking a cigar with the caption, "Tired of politicians that blow smoke... but accomplish nothing?"
Inside, the flier highlights one of the Republican candidates for Assembly and outlines the seven planks.
"That kind of is the sentiment of the voters, of, 'yeah, they're blowing more smoke,' " said Assemblywoman Valerie Weber, R-Las Vegas.
Assembly Majority Leader Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said the Democrats in the Assembly have their own set of priorities emerging for the next session, including several bills in the works.
Democrats will support putting unspent federal dollars into a program for small business health care, creating opportunities for more parental involvement in education, protecting consumers from identity theft and limiting the amount school districts spend on administration costs.
"What voters are going to look at is not gimmicks and retreads of the laws that are already on the books," she said. "They're going to be looking at the quality of the candidate. We've also recruited a lot of quality candidates to run for office, so it sounds like they're just running scared."
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