Registration rebate plan is questioned

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005 | 11:08 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposal to rebate $300 million to Nevadans was already running into a lot of questioning this morning.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux spoke to the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee today to start outlining the $5.7 billion general fund budget that the governor announced Monday to a joint session of the Legislature.

One of the governor's major proposals is to return up to $300 to each registrant of a motor vehicle in Nevada in 2004.

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, questioned whether this money might be better used to reduce the lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

She said the goal of the Guinn administration is to get the department to a one-hour wait. She asked what it would cost to reduce the waiting time to 45, 30 or 15 minutes. She said the public would "be more appreciative of that."

Comeaux said that the refunds would require more than 2 million checks to be issued. If a person owned five vehicles, he or she would get five checks.

The 2 million checks are almost as many as the state controller's office issues in one year. Comeaux said the job might have to be sent to a private company.

Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, said many motorists register their cars in other states to take advantage of cheaper fees. He said that reducing the 2005 registration fees, rather than the rebate, might convince some of these "slackers" to register in Nevada.

"We would like to get them back in our system," said Coffin.

Assemblyman Bob Seale, R-Henderson, also suggested that the current fees might be lowered rather than going through the issuance of 2 million checks which would cost about $2.3 million.

Comeaux said the governor looked at that possibility but he felt it was better to base the refund "on fees we could count and control."

The rebates proposed by the governor would go not only to private motorists but fleet owners such as taxicab companies.