Politics - Las Vegas Sun News

Bill closing gun background check loophole advances at Nevada Legislature: May 21, 2013; By Anjeanette Damon; Moments after a cadre of gun control advocates who lost family members in mass shootings arrived in Carson City, the Senate Finance Committee passed SB 211 in a party line vote. It now heads to the Senate floor, where it almost certainly will face a pitched partisan battle.

Last-minute bill introduced to cap emergency room charges: May 21, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, wants to amend the constitution to cap costs for anybody receiving treatment in a hospital emergency room. “This is something for our constituents that is important,” she said.

Harry Reid promises ‘everything in our power’ to help Oklahoma recover: May 21, 2013; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada spoke on the Senate floor today regarding the devastating tornadoes that struck Oklahoma.

Traffic is seen Jan. 13, 2011, on Interstate 15 in a construction zone for the Interstate 15 South Design-Build South Project.

Inequity in state’s spending on roads is a joke: May 21, 2013; By Brian Greenspun; Connecting the dots in Carson City is a fool’s errand. Enter the fool. Sen. Debbie Smith has bottled up Senate Bill 322 in her committee despite a previous unanimous vote to move it to the floor for passage. But why?

Nevada’s full congressional delegation met in the Mike Mansfield Room of the U.S. Capitol to discuss Nevada policy for the first time in several years, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2013.

Nevada lawmakers 'all over the map' on immigration reform: May 21, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Nevada constituents are asking questions about what the congressional delegation is doing and where its members stand on emerging immigration reform proposals. The answer is: all over the place.

Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, answers media questions at the Legislative Building in Carson City, Nev., on Monday, May 13, 2013. Senate Democrats are proposing a hike in the payroll taxes for large corporations and mining companies to raise money for education priorities. (AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)

Mo Denis to go to bat for payroll tax hike today: May 21, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; Perhaps nobody at the Legislature this year has been more insistent than Nevada Senate Majority Leader Mo Denis that the state must immediately put more money into Nevada’s education system.

People outside the East Sahara Avenue Department of Motor Vehicles office.

Nevada Senate OKs bill to allow driving privilege cards: May 20, 2013; By Cy Ryan; Immigrants who came to the country illegally would be able to obtain a driver’s privilege card under a bill approved Monday by the Senate, whose supporters said it would make roads safer and contribute to the economy.

Rep. Joe Heck speaks to Veterans at the American Legion Post 40 in Henderson on Wednesday, June 8, 2011.

House easily passes Heck's bill on lying about military honors: May 20, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Nevada Rep. Joe Heck’s bill to safeguard the sanctity of military awards had an easy ride through the House of Representatives tonight, earning the near-unanimous support of his colleagues.

White House press secretary Jay Carney listens to a question Dec. 14, 2012, during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington.

More Obama aides knew of IRS audit; Obama not told: May 20, 2013; By Charles Babington and Julie Pace, Associated Press; White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and other senior advisers knew in late April that an impending report was likely to say the IRS had inappropriately targeted conservative groups, President Barack Obama's spokesman disclosed Monday, expanding the circle of top officials who knew of the audit beyond those named earlier.

Legislators hope second time is a charm for court of appeals: May 20, 2013; By Cy Ryan; Although voters rejected the idea in 2010, the Nevada Senate has unanimously passed a proposed constitutional amendment creating a three-judge intermediate court of appeals to be based in Las Vegas.

Yerington land swap bill bogged down in House: May 20, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The Nevada delegation had hoped that the Lyon County Economic Development Act, their first priority public lands bill by mutual agreement, would be moving through the House at a little bit faster clip than this.

Legislative showdown brewing over $2 million for Teach for America: May 20, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; A $2 million pot of money to hire more teachers for the Clark County School District could be in danger — with a contingent of Assembly Democrats apparently digging in their heels against the money.

Miller under attack as he pursues campaign finance reform: May 19, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; An out-of-state conservative group wants you to call Democratic Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller and tell him that you’re “sick of his costly hypocrisy.” But that group doesn't have to disclose its campaign contributions.

A view of the Nevada State Legislature building in Carson City Monday, Feb. 11, 2013.

Legislature might get messy near the end: May 19, 2013; By Anjeanette Damon; The Nevada Legislature has reached the point in every session when lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters ask: Is it going to end on time? And the answer always is: Maybe.

The Nevada State Legislature building is shown in Carson City, Nev., Thursday, March 31, 2005.

Few big tax bills afoot, but plenty of little ones at Nevada Legislature: May 19, 2013; By Anjeanette Damon; Democrats may have fallen short of crafting a comprehensive tax reform plan to address Nevada’s wobbly revenue structure, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a bevy bills to raise taxes floating around the Legislature this year.

Monday, May 20

R&R Partners CEO Billy Vassiliadis on the big energy bill, taxes and online poker. Watch »

Monday, May 6

Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey says it's unlikely his caucus would support any tax reform that would actually raise revenue, but spoke favorably of Speaker Kirkpatrick's forthcoming live entertainment tax bill. Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick is calling it quits after two decades in office. Watch »