Editor: Janine Hansen
Vol. 36 No. 5, Email edition
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Last Minute Miracles at the Legislature!
The Assembly adjourned “sine die” just before midnight on June 1, 2009 while the Senate finally adjourned at 12:24am. In the last minutes before the Assembly adjourned, several important issues were still hanging in the balance.
SB52: REAL ID Defeat Tied to Threat to Gun Rights
After a barrage of anti-REAL ID emails, SB52 REAL ID was placed on the “Secretary’s Desk”. On May 31, SB52 was moved back into Senate Finance Committee where a hearing was held at 9am on June 1. The bill was amended by taking out any references to “REAL ID”. It then became REAL ID without the name, containing nearly the same requirements. The DMV desperately wanted SB52 so they could get a $3 million grant from the federal Homeland Security Dept. for implementing the requirements of “REAL ID.”
SB52 was passed out of Committee and went to the Senate Floor. We desperately worked that day in cooperation with the ACLU and Gun Owners to defeat it. On June 1st, at 7:26pm, the Senate passed REAL ID with 12 Senators voting Yes and 9 voting No. We had been working all day to alert the Assembly that REAL ID was an “anti-gun” monstrosity and would be considered an Anti-Gun vote.
Apparently, Speaker Barbara Buckley got the message. Buckley is planning to run for Governor. She mentioned to someone that she did not want any trouble with the “gun people.” Buckley who sets the agenda in the Assembly, never took a vote, so when the Assembly adjourned at midnight June 1st SB52 REAL ID died.
We worked to defeat REAL ID the entire session. Eleven States have refused to participate in REAL ID reasons include: it is the “most egregious unfunded federal mandate” on record, it implements a national ID card which is anti-American liberty, it jeopardizes privacy increasing the possibility of identity theft, and most worrisome could be used to identify and track gun owners essentially serving as defacto gun registration.
Senators Voting NO: Amodei, Care, Cegavske, Copening, Lee, McGinness, Parks, Rhoads, Washington.
YES: Breeden, Carlton, Coffin, Hardy, Horsford, Mathews, Nolan, Raggio, Schneider, Townsend, Wiener, Woodhouse.
AB433 Primary Seat Belt Offense ---Shenanigans
Originally the Seat Belt bill was SB116, which died in the Assembly Transportation Committee. After it died, Senator Nolan amended it into AB433 a cancer bill. Nevada has the second highest seat belt use compliance in the nation at over 94% according to statistics presented by the proponents of the bill. So why do we need it? Seat belt laws making it a primary offense are tied to federal grants…federal money that’s the reason again. It’s easy to see how we are manipulated by the feds!
Under the law now, you get a ticket for not wearing your seat belt only if you are stopped for some other offense. When seat belts are a primary offense, the police can stop you at any time for any reason, as they have done in other states implementing road blocks, to check to see if you have your seat belt and using it as an excuse the check whatever they want. This law would move us closer to a police state.
After all the shenanigans by Senator Nolan, AB433 passed the Senate 15 to 6. NO votes: Amodei, Care, Carlton, Cegvaske, McGinness, Washington. Yes votes: Breeden, Coffin, Copening, Hardy, Horsford, Lee, Mathews, Nolan, Parks, Raggio, Rhoads, Schneider, Townsend, Weiner, Woodhouse.
After the Senate passed AB433 at 7:46pm on June 1st, the Assembly, which was disgusted at the way AB433 (the cancer bill) had been hijacked, and the Assembly had consistently voted against Seat Belts as a primary offense, did not bring AB433 up for a vote. It died upon adjournment at midnight, June 1st.
AJR6 Annual Sessions of the Legislature passed the Assembly, then passed the Senate Elections committee and was re-referred to Senate Finance Committee where it died without a vote, when the Legislature adjourned!
AB82 Secretary of State’s Voter Suppression Bill Dies
We continually hear that our election officials want to increase voter participation and turnout. This is only lip service. What the Secretary of State Ross Miller really wants is controlled-monitored-approved and reported participation only.
AB82 was the most horrendous election bill I have ever seen. It was 92 pages long. It had 7-9 different versions, most of which were never available to the public. It required people/candidates/parties/organizations who wanted to have a voter registration drive (defined originally as more than 10 registrations then later as 50 registrations) to take a class from the Secretary of State or be liable for a $1,000 fine. That would really encourage participation!!!
If an individual wanted to print some political fliers or put up a sign that cost more than $100, BEFORE they could do anything they have to REGISTER with the Secretary of State. Even the ACLU argued that this was unconstitutional because it was prior restraint on speech. I wonder if our founding fathers would have approved of having to pre-register with the SOS before exercising our First Amendment Right of Free Speech!!!
One of the worst sections of the bill reversed a change we had achieved just two years ago. Right now, Ballot Question/Petition Committees have to report when their contributions reach $10,000. Their names of their individual contributors who give more than $1,000 also have to be reported. This bill lowered those thresholds to $1,000 and $100. Remember what happened in California on Prop 8 Marriage. The opponents took the names of contributors of Prop 8 who donated as little as $100, and published maps on the Internet targeting them for harassment, intimidation, and persecution. Contributors experiencing these threats will probably never be willing to donate to a campaign again. This is another example of suppressing voter participation.
In addition, this bill greatly increased the penalties for election/voter crimes to felonies, many of which had been misdemeanors, once again intimidating and suppressing voter participation. This bill was simply appalling!
We had been fighting this bill since the beginning of the Legislature. It finally passed the Senate at about 11:50pm June 1st, but by that time the Assembly had adjourned. Because it had to go back to the Assembly for concurrence and the Assembly had adjourned, the bill died. That was truly divine intervention.
SB212 Rhoads Bill to Kill Petitioning is Transformed
SB212 Senator Rhoads bill to kill petitioning required signatures to be gathered in all 42 Assembly Districts, quite simply making petitioning nearly impossible especially combined with other requirements in the bill. After unprecedented tactics using Raggio’s private law firm instead of the Legislature’s official legal council, the Legislative Counsel Bureau, SB212 was finally re-referred to Senate Finance Committee.
A hearing was held on May 30th. The bill was amended to use Congressional Districts for gathering petitions until July 2011. After that, something called “petition districts”, that are yet to be defined will be used. I was told that there will be 5-7 petition districts covering the state. The bill as it passed was a thousand times better than the original. Not only were the Congressional Districts acceptable, but the use of electronic devices to figure out a person’s district was removed. We have supported the use of Congressional Districts and although we don’t yet know what the petition districts will be, they assuredly are better than using 42 Assembly Districts. Additionally, petition districts won’t be instituted until after the next Legislature in 2011 so they can be changed. SB212, as amended, passed the Senate and the Assembly.
AJR2 is the Constitutional Amendment, which has the same petition district provisions as SB212. It passed both houses and must be passed again at the next Legislative Session before it goes on the ballot.
SB311 Forced Fluoridation of Washoe County Water Goes Down the Drain
Toxic fluoride was defeated on the ballot by the people of Washoe County 3 times including the most recent vote in 2002 by 58%. Truckee Meadows Water Authority asked for an amendment to SB311 so that the people of Washoe County could vote BEFORE fluoride was instituted. Unbelievably, this was opposed by the Senators supporting fluoride. The City of Sparks testified that it would cost between $50-$100 million in order to remove the fluoride from the water, so it didn’t kill the fish downstream in the Truckee River. Testimony exposed the fact that according to the CDC 41% of teenagers now have ugly dental fluorosis, which is caused by too much fluoride. In addition, fluoride harms cancer patients, diabetics, people with kidney disease, causes brittle bones in older people and bone cancer in boys. Even the American Dental Association has said that babies under 12 months should not have fluoridated water in their formulas. For more info go to: www.nofluoride.com and www.flouridealert.org
After months of wrangling and high handed tactics by Senators Mathews and Horsford, SB311 passed the Senate 11 to 9 on May 22. A hearing was held in the Assembly Health Committee on May 27, but no vote was ever taken by the committee, so SB311 died quietly.
Senators voting NO: Amodei, Cegavske, Hardy, Lee, McGinness, Raggio, Rhoads, Townsend, Washington. Yes: Breeden, Carlton, Coffin, Copening, Horsford, Mathews, Nolan, Parks, Schneider, Wiener, Woodhouse. Not voting: Care.
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AB413 “National Popular Vote” --The Subversive Plan to Ditch the Electoral College
AB413 does away with the founder’s Constitutional protection of the Electoral College in the selection of the President. When a state joins the National Popular Vote Agreement, it does not matter who the people in the state vote for, their state’s electors will be forced to vote for the presidential candidate who has been ”designated” as the national popular vote winner.
This will make small population states, like Nevada, meaningless zeroes in the Presidential Election. During this last election Nevada, as a swing state, was important because of our electoral votes. If we adopt the National Popular Vote Agreement, our votes will become irrelevant in the presidential election. Big states like California are pushing the National Popular Vote because they will be the states who will have all the say in Presidential elections when the NPV plan ditches the Electoral College. Four liberal states have already passed NPV: New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, and Hawaii. Six more have passed it in both houses: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington State. Although the Assembly passed AB413 with 27 to 14 (all Democrats voting Yes, all Republicans voting No), the Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee never took a vote….so it died.
SB378 Government Plans to Institutionalize Preschoolers Vetoed by Governor
This bill passed both the Senate and the Assembly with large majorities, but after the Governor’s veto the Senate sustained the veto unanimously! This bill would have established a government plan for early childhood education with standards and guidelines for pre-kindergarten education…it created a plan and infrastructure for government early childhood pre-school programs which would have grown and grown and grown. These programs would have been used as “successful models” to sell pre-kindergarten programs for all children in the future.
In addition, programs like these that are established with tax money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will have to be funded by Nevada’s Legislature and taxpayers when the money from the Stimulus runs out. Of course, we know that it has long been the goal of the Teachers Union, the National Education Association, to create more jobs for teachers through promoting preschool programs from birth to eight years old.
AJR5 Special Sessions of the Legislature
Currently only the Governor can call the Legislature into a Special Session of the Legislature. We originally favored AJR5 which allowed the Legislature to call itself into Special Session for a limited 20 days as a check and balance on the Executive Branch and for emergency circumstances. When we first endorsed this legislation it was limited to extraordinary circumstances with a specific agenda determined in advance and a petition calling for the Special Session by at least 2/3rds of both house of the Legislature. We now have concerns that the scope of AJR5 has been expanded to much to include impeachment of the Governor, Supreme Court Justices and other judges, and removal of Legislators for misconduct. In addition, enact bills or appropriations to address unexpected conditions or emergency situations (so they can raise our taxes again); or reconsider bills vetoed by the Governor after the adjournment of a regular session. AJR5 was passed by the Legislature, but will have to pass the Legislature again in 2011.
AJR7 State Lottery, which we opposed, passed the Assembly 31 Yea, 11 Nay. It was never given a hearing in Senate Government Affairs so it is dead.
AB431 Required government and those with government contracts to verify immigration status of employees. We supported. Died in Committee.
AB442 Prohibited local and state governments and agencies from spending taxpayer money to hire lobbyists. We supported. Passed the Assembly; died in Senate Legislative Operations & Elections Committee without a vote, because Senators such as Raggio and Hardy have connections that make big bucks lobbying the Legislature & local governments.
SB283 Same Sex Marriage/Domestic Partnership Senate/Assembly Override Veto
What’s the difference in Nevada between Same Sex Marriage and Domestic Partnerships? Well…one starts with an “M” and the other with a “D”. One goes to the county clerk--the other to the Secretary of State. That’s all folks. While those who support traditional marriage sat on their hands, especially churches, the proponents of SB283 showed up in large numbers, emailed and called. Senators Nolan and Rhoads switched their votes to YES in the Senate to support the override so SB283 passed by one vote in the Senate. Assemblywoman Kirkpatrick switched her vote to YES and Goedhart the only Republican Assemblyman to vote for SB283 gave them the one vote they needed in the Assembly to override the Governor. Those who say they support marriage & family have only themselves to blame that this passed.
$781 Million in New Taxes Passed Overriding Governor Gibbons Veto
How is this going to help families and businesses?
Families now spend 50-60% of their income in federal, state, and local taxes…much of it hidden taxes. Families spend more on taxes than they spend on housing, food, health care, transportation, education, or recreation. When are we taxed enough? We join with the nationwide Tax Tea Parties with the message. Taxed Enough Already!
The deals to pass this tax increase were made behind closed doors with hearings later that were nothing but shams.
SB429 includes $781 million in new state taxes/revenues over the next two years:
This tax increase could not have passed without the Republicans in the Senate who supported it.
Senators voting AGAINST raising your taxes: Republicans: Amodei, Cegavske, McGinness, Washington.
Senators voting FOR raising your taxes: Republicans: Hardy, Nolan, Raggio, Rhoads, Townsend.
Democrats: Breeden, Care, Carlton, Coffin, Copening, Horsford, Lee, Mathews, Parks, Schneider, Wiener, Woodhouse.
Assemblymen voting AGAINST raising your taxes: Republicans: Christensen, Cobb, Gansert, Goedhart, Goicoechea, Grady, Gustavson, Hambrick, Hardy, McArthur, Settelmeyer, Stewart, Woodbury.
Assemblymen voting FOR raising your taxes: Republican: Carpenter. Democrats: Aizley, Anderson, Arberry, Atkinson, Bobzien, Buckley, Claborn, Conklin, Denis, Dondero Loop, Hogan, Horne, Kihuen, Kirkpatrick, Koivisto, Leslie, Manendo, Mastroluca, McClain, Mortenson, Munford, Ocegura, Ohrenschall, Parnell, Pierce, Segerblom, Smith, Spiegel.
SJR2* Appointing Judges Passed and Will Be on the Ballot in 2010.
SJR2 is a proposed Constitutional Amendment, which provides for the initial appointment instead of election of our Nevada Supreme Court and District Court Judges. Remember: The Federal Imperial Judiciary are all unelected. They have brought us the decisions on the Ten Commandments, the Pledge of Allegiance and of course Roe v Wade. We don’t want the Judiciary to be independent of the people!
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