Washington Business and Technology Institute - Asian Republicans of Nevada

Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn: 2005 BUDGET OFFERS ROADMAP TO PROSPEROUS FUTURE FOR NEVADA
By Dr. Kenny C. Guinn*1
The efforts of a good number of legislators, department heads, staff members and citizens culminated on Tuesday, June 7, with the final approval of the budget for the 2005-2007 biennium. I am eternally grateful to all of the individuals who were part of this process.
In January, during my State of the State address, I asked our legislators to look beyond party lines and to work together in order to better the future for all Nevadans. I believe that the 2005 Legislature has accomplished this goal. The next two years promises to be one of the most productive in our state’s history, as we continue to benefit from a strong economy, great population growth and a strong feeling of optimism about the future among our citizens.
I would like to highlight a few of the more important pieces of legislation that are contained within the budget. I believe these items clearly reflect a shared sense of responsibility by our legislators over the past 121 days, and will serve in the coming months and years as excellent building blocks for continued prosperity and opportunity for the people of Nevada.
n I went on record early, even before the session began, that a $300 million rebate to the citizens of Nevada, along with a plan to address rising property taxes in the state, would be the most important work of the 2005 Legislature. I am happy to report that both the Senate and Assembly had rigorous and lively debate regarding the $300 million rebate. The bottom line: Nevadans will benefit from this unprecedented windfall that the state has experienced, and that checks, administered through the Department of Motor Vehicles, will soon be arriving in the mail. Individuals eligible for the rebate can receive a minimum of $75 and up to a $275 cap.
n The passage of Assembly Bill 489, which offered the citizens of Nevada property tax relief, was important for two reasons. First, it came in time to have an immediate impact. Second, in what has been called its “hybrid” form, it offers tax relief for three important segments of our population – businesses, homeowners, and renters. I said publicly that AB 489 is not perfect, but it is an important – and timely – first step in offering the people of Nevada relief from rising property taxes.
n Thanks to a bipartisan effort among leadership in both the Senate and the Assembly, it was announced early in the session that a plan to save the Millennium Scholarship had been reached. Some fine-tuning of the program’s requirements occurred early Tuesday morning, with a 12-credit cap established, as well as a 2.75 grade point average requirement for a student’s second year in college. Also under the agreement, record-setting revenues generated by the state, coupled with reallocation in several budgetary areas as well as money from abandoned property, will be appropriated for the Millennium Scholarship. The families of Nevada can rest assured that the Millennium Scholarship will have a life well into the next decade, if not further.
n During my State of the State Address, I stressed that an initiative to set aside $100 million in remediation funding would give our troubled schools greater flexibility in meeting goals they have set for themselves and for meeting goals under No Child Left Behind. I purposely left this initiative open-ended, with the hope that the $100 million could be used in a variety of ways. Already, with at least $22 million of this fund earmarked for all-day kindergarten, we are moving into an era of stricter accountability and strategically targeted funding initiatives to meet the needs of our troubled schools.
n Classified and unclassified employees will be granted a 2 percent COLA effective July 1, 2005 and an additional 4 percent COLA effective July 1, 2006. Perhaps even more importantly, classes that have experienced a significant market pay disparity, have high turnover, and recruitment difficulty, will be granted a 2-grade increase. Groups receiving the grade increase include: peace officers, nurses, dispatchers and correctional classes.
n The approved 2005 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) included funding for 26 new construction projects, 43 maintenance projects, and seven statewide projects in the amount of more than $419 million. This represents the largest CIP ever approved by the Legislature. Included in the record CIP is a substantial and record-setting investment in higher education, with $200 million in new buildings.
n The budget represents the largest investment the State of Nevada has ever made in the areas of human resources and mental health, totaling more than $4.7 billion in the 2006-2007 biennium. The budget is some $814 million more than the current biennium, and some $316 million of this budget is from general fund dollars. New initiatives include the new psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas, scheduled to open in May 2006; staffing to operate 217 psychiatric beds; funding to address mental health caseload growth; increases for medication clinics, establishment of the first-ever Suicide Prevention Office; expanded services for people with disabilities; funding to cover waiting lists for Early Childhood Services; reduced foster care case management workloads; a new automated system for Child Care.
n State matching funds for construction of new southern Nevada Readiness Center for the Nevada Office of the Military. Legislature also made permanent the Board of Regents waiver of tuition for National Guard members attending Nevada’s colleges.
n The budget for the Nevada Department of Transportation includes nearly $1 billion in capital outlay for highway improvements and preservation, and is supported by $400 million in bonds. It represents the most ambitious highway project in the state’s history. NDOT’s only bill, AB 82, which allows the designation and penalties for high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lands, and regulates oversized farm equipment on interstate highways was approved unanimously by both houses. AB 82 will help improve traffic operations and safety on Nevada’s highways.
n About $10 million in economic development money has been made available to the primary economic development entities of southern Nevada and northern Nevada – the Nevada Development Authority and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.
n Excellent progress was made regarding my affordable housing initiative. Positive dialogue with local government and federal officials has begun, support is evident in both houses, and I am optimistic that soon affordable housing will be made available to the citizens of Clark County through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.
n The passage of AB 458 authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds for the state to continue to carry out the Environmental Improvement Program at Lake Tahoe, in areas such as forest restoration, creation of hiking trails and habitat enhancement.
n The Department of Cultural Affairs will receive an increase of $400,000 per biennium for Arts Council Grants Programs – the first significant increase to deal with population growth since 1997. Also, SB 4 reauthorizes and increases annual grants to be awarded under the Commission for Cultural Affairs program from $2 million to $3 million. A new building was included in the CIP to connect the Nevada State Museum Mint building to the new North building.
All of this would not have been possible without the bipartisan efforts of the Senate and Assembly. A year ago, given some of the fracture that had occurred during the last legislative session, many wondered if we could have a productive 2005 session. The work of the members of the Senate and Assembly has proven the doubters wrong; together, we have created a formidable roadmap for our state’s future.
This was my fourth – and final – legislative session, and I am eternally grateful to all of the members of our Legislature for their hard work. I believe the members of our Legislature are diligent, thoughtful and talented people. It has been a distinct pleasure to work with all of you. I believe each and every one of you has helped lay before the people of Nevada an exciting and bold roadmap to the future. I would also like to highlight the work of a host of department heads, individual staff, and all of the members of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, who as always proved to be an invaluable resource during the budget proceedings. Thanks to the work of these people and scores of others over the past 121 days, the future for Nevada is very bright indeed.
I will not soon forget the 2005 Legislature, and what it has meant to the lives of the citizens of our great state. You have all made a difference, and you should be proud of your work.
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Reference
*1. About Governor Kenny Guinn (concise one by the Editor of this flier):
Kenny Guinn, 68, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Physical Education from Fresno State University and later obtained a doctorate in Education from Utah State University in Logan.
In 1994, Guinn was recruited by the University of Nevada Board of Regents to serve as interim president of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Kenny spent his boyhood in the small, Central Valley town of Exeter, California where he met Dema, his wife of 48 years. Kenny Guinn believes in families.
Dr. Kenny C. Guinn is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Washington Business and Technology Institute (WBTI). He is now the Governor of Nevada, U. S. A. at his second term.

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