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CARSON CITY -- Gov. Jim Gibbons has called a special June 23 session of the Legislature to deal with the budget crisis.
Gibbons will ask the Legislature to postpone a 4 percent cost-of-living pay raise for all state employees, including teachers.
"All options will be on the table," the governor said.
The state is facing a nearly $1 billion shortfall this current biennium and $1 billion in the next biennium.
“After conferring with legislative leadership and members of the executive branch yesterday, I decided that a budget crisis of this magnitude should not be addressed by only a few selected leaders,” Gibbons said in a statement.
At Thursday's budget meeting with legislative leaders, Gibbons said all options will be considered to deal with declining tax revenue, which has the state looking at being an additional $60 million in the hole for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Gibbons envisions a special session of no more than five days. The session will cost $100,000 the first day and $50,000 on each subsequent day.
Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee that decides money issues, was angered that Gibbons called the special session -- and incensed that he was not notified of the decision.
"We should not be having a special session," Arberry said. "This could have been worked out" by the Legislature's interim finance committee, which meets between sessions.
Describing the $60 million shortfall for next fiscal year as small, he said the finance committee working with the governor could have made the decisions to solve the problem.
He was also irked that Gibbons called the special session the day after he held a special briefing for key legislators at which they agreed to work together. Arberry was not informed by the governor or his office about the convening of the special session.
"I had to learn it from the newspapers," he said. "I know he (Gibbons) has personal problems but they should not have anything to do with running the state."
Arberry said he would not support any new taxes. "It's not the right time," he said, noting the hardship that people are suffering in the economic downturn.
"I'm pretty upset," he said. "There is no excuse for not calling me. He should give us respect."
My bet...there will be a reduction in teacher's raise and hotel room tax will be increased.
Why is it that the state is in such a financial mess. Whos holding the purse strings, whoever they are they sure cant count. Just like the USA, in a huge huge financial mess, and it goes on and on and on, when will it all end?
The cost of living raise for state employees has just been cancelled for this year. That is what the "special session" had to do with.
This LuvGuv has no idea of the Law and Protocol in dealing with the State Legislature. He reports a committee effort on mone day and calls a Special Session the next day. He has no clue what he is doing!
RESIGN GIBBONS< just do it.
Everything you do proves your inability to grasp reality and lead this State.
Arberry - Set and agenda and include IMPEACHMENT of Gibbons on the agenda. PLEASE.
The Donkeys want no part of this.
They want to run and hide.
They should demand to raise taxes...how about a 20% income tax on all citizens.
Whatever his motive for calling a special session, JimBo is actually right for once about one thing: the interim finance committee can't fix this problem. If you live in one of the two-thirds of Senate or Assembly districts without a representative or vote on that committee, you're disenfranchised -- no say in what gets cut and by how much. It's government by oligarchy.
Why is it the state workers are promised raises only to have them taken away? This has happened time and again. They seem to "carry" an unfair share of Nevada's failure to balance their budget. Cut welfare and cut it now. Initiate and implement an immigration policy that most voters having been crying to be heard. Politicians work for the voters and the voters are being ignored. Maybe a citizen-based legislature isn't so good after all. They don't listen to voters any better and they certainly have proven they cannot handle the job.