State legislators say no progress in budget talks

Kirsten Searer

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Legislators talked big on Monday about how they had to iron out a budget by the end of the day or risk a special session.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, started the day with a pep talk on the Senate floor.

"Let's all work together," he said.

But leaders emerged without a budget settlement after almost six hours of closed-door meetings Monday, and they said they had no progress to report.

"We're back tomorrow," a weary Ways and Means Committee Chairman Morse Arberry Jr. said as he left the meeting.

Leaders did say they made enough progress that they plan to be done by the June 6 deadline.

But they wouldn't comment from there.

"We're sworn to secrecy," Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, said. "We're all going to find out soon enough. They're fragile negotiations."

The big issues holding up the budget include $32 million for a math and science building at UNR, a $25 million chunk for a teaching hospital in Las Vegas and the Democratic proposal to fund full-day kindergarten for all students.

Democrats have also asked for 5 percent raises in the next two years for state teachers and employees.

"We haven't landed on anything," said Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas.

Republicans have expressed concern about a full-day kindergarten program, saying it would deplete the money Gov. Kenny Guinn allotted for remediation in elementary education. They also argue that not all parents want their children to attend full-day kindergarten.

Legislative leaders said they are running numbers on different plans to phase in full-day kindergarten. They could implement it only in at-risk schools. Or they could start slowly, such as first providing it in one classroom in each school so that parents would have more control over whether their children attend full-day kindergarten.

They planned another closed-door session again this afternoon.

While legislators have until Monday for a final vote on the budget, staff members have said they need about a week to prepare the budget for a vote once legislators set their priorities.