MINUTES OF THE JOINT MEETING OF

      SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

      AND

      ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

 

      Sixty-seventh Session

      May 4, 1993

 

 

 

The joint meeting of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means was called to order by Chairman William J. Raggio, at 9:00 a.m., on Tuesday, May 4, 1993, in Room 119 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada.  Exhibit A is the Meeting Agenda.  Exhibit B is the Attendance Roster.

 

 

SENATE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Senator William J. Raggio, Chairman

Senator Raymond D. Rawson, Vice Chairman

Senator Lawrence E. Jacobsen

Senator Bob Coffin

Senator Diana M. Glomb

Senator William R. O'Donnell

Senator Matthew Q. Callister

 

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Mr. Morse Arberry, Jr., Chairman

Mr. Larry L. Spitler, Vice Chairman

Mrs. Vonne Chowning

Mr. Joseph E. Dini, Jr.

Mrs. Jan Evans

Ms. Christina R. Giunchigliani

Mr. Dean A. Heller

Mr. David E. Humke

Mr. John W. Marvel

Mr. Richard Perkins

Mr. Robert E. Price

Ms. Sandra Tiffany

Mrs. Myrna T. Williams

 

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Daniel G. Miles, Fiscal Analyst

Mark W. Stevens, Fiscal Analyst

Robert A. Guernsey, Principal Deputy Fiscal Analyst

Gary Ghiggeri, Principal Deputy Fiscal Analyst

Judy Jacobs, Committee Secretary

Reba Coombs, Committee Secretary

 

Senator Raggio announced the purpose of the meeting was to look at areas in which there are differences in budgets that have been closed by the respective committees. 

 

Law Library -     Page 87

 

Senator Raggio pointed out the senate and assembly committees had approved disparate solutions to the budget for the Law Library.  He invited comment by the staff for the two committees.

 

Daniel G. Miles,  Fiscal Analyst, reported the Senate Committee on Finance had closed the budget by effecting an adjustment that had

 

been requested by the agency.  He explained the adjustment had been made to the property and casualty insurance expense within the agency for both years of the biennium.

 

 

Mark W. Stevens, Fiscal Analyst, noted the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means had taken action in which $825 in equipment funds had been removed from the first year of the biennium and placed into the second year of the biennium.  He explained the equipment, which converts printed material to synthesized voice for the blind or visually impaired, had been requested in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.  He said the equipment, which just came on the market, is called "A Leading Edge"; and it is slightly higher in price than the piece of equipment that was originally contemplated.

 

Senator Raggio asked if the $825 would enable purchase of the desired piece of equipment.  Mr. Stevens replied it would suffice. 

Ms. Giunchigliani declared she had been chairman of the subcommittee which dealt with the courts and said the device is more responsive to public needs.  Thus the recommendation had been made to include the $825 in the budget.

 

Senator Raggio stated he would accept a motion from the senate.

 

      SENATOR RAWSON MOVED TO CONCUR WITH THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS.

 

      SENATOR GLOMB SECONDED THE MOTION.

 

      THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

 

      BUDGET CLOSED.

      * * * * *

 

 

 

Judicial Discipline Commission -       Page 109

 

Mr. Miles stated the Senate Committee on Finance had closed the budget for the Judicial Discipline Commission for the first year with the addition of $5,000 to furnish an office with a chair, workstation, facsimile machine (FAX), computer, printer and software. 

 

Senator O'Donnell averred the equipment requested by the Judicial Discipline Commission had been enhanced.  He explained they had requested a plain paper FAX, but it had been demonstrated to them they could purchase a computer which contained a plain paper FAX machine within the computer much more economically and with much more competing power. 

 

Mr. Stevens stated the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means had closed the budget with the addition of $3,425 in each year of the biennium.  Of that sum he said $800 had been approved to provide support for two additional meetings in each fiscal year; for an extra  $1,000 for printing which would allow the committee to produce a brochure to increase public awareness of the commission's functions and to develop an annual report; and with the extra

 

$1,625 that was approved, for additional postage and telephone expenses and for lease payments for a copier which had inadvertently been omitted from the original budget request.

 

Ms. Giunchigliani recognized that the equipment request had been included in the original presentation but was not requested during subcommittee hearings.  She said the main focus had been to attempt to provide the public with more education regarding the commission's functions, how it can be accessed, how complaints can be filed and how it interacts with the Supreme Court regarding expansion of their rules.  She stated the proposed annual report would include the types of complaints received by the commission.

 

 

Senator Raggio said the equipment request had not come from the commission but rather as a result of Senator O'Donnell's examination of the cost-effectiveness of their requests.  Senator Raggio indicated he would be willing to accept a motion to support the actions recommended by both the senate and assembly. 

 

      SENATOR GLOMB MOVED THAT THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE  CONCUR WITH THE ADJUSTMENTS APPROVED BY THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS AND THAT THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS CONCUR WITH THE ADJUSTMENTS APPROVED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE.

 

      SENATOR O'DONNELL SECONDED THE MOTION.

 

      THE MOTION CARRIED ON THE  SENATE SIDE.  (SENATOR

      RAWSON VOTED NO.)

 

      * * * * *

 

      MS. GIUNCHIGLIANI MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MOTION APPROVED BY THE SENATE.

 

      MR. SPITLER SECONDED THE MOTION.

 

      THE MOTION CARRIED.  (MRS. WILLIAMS VOTED NO.)

 

      BUDGET CLOSED.

 

      * * * * *

 

Dairy Commission -      Page 475

 

Senator Jacobsen requested that the State Dairy Commission budget be held.

 

Senator Raggio stated:

 

      The basic difference is not in the budget but in the assembly action which would change the existing law that the executive director is selected by the Governor from names provided by the [State] Dairy Commission.  The senate action...has been to allow the status quo, which is the executive director is selected by the [State] Dairy Commission.

 

Mr. Dini interjected, "We thought that was a reasonable compromise to help the Governor develop his own cabinet by allowing him to

 

make the selection...."  Senator Raggio pointed out the executive director of the commission would not be considered a cabinet position.  Mr. Dini agreed but suggested it would be a person the Governor could direct.

 

Senator Raggio announced he would hold the budget at the request of Senator Jacobsen.

 

Department of Museums and History - Page 1120

 

Mr. Miles stated the Senate Committee on Finance had closed the budget as recommended by the Governor.  Mr. Stevens said not only had the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means closed the budget, but also they had closed budgets in which savings will be secured through the Governor's proposed reorganization.  As a result he said they moved "to delete reorganization savings and transfer that amount to Vacancy Savings, then allow the current statutory authority included in the appropriations act to apply to a transfer of funds between budget accounts."  

 

Mr. Stevens continued to say:

 

      Currently the appropriations act allows the executive branch with Interim Finance Committee approval to transfer appropriated funds within budgets within a department up to the vacancy savings amount.  The assembly action would transfer reorganization savings to  Vacancy Savings and allow transfer authority based on existing statutes.

 

Senator Raggio stated, "The senate has done that with respect to several individual budgets but has not taken that action formally on the budget as a whole."  He asked, "Are you saying by doing this that you are then authorizing the transfer of funding with up to the amount of vacancy savings within the whole department?"  Upon affirmation by Mr. Stevens, Senator Raggio said the issue would be revisited.  He acknowledged the committee had taken such action as far as changing reorganization savings to Vacancy Savings but had not authorized a transfer within a department up to that level.

 

Nevada State Library - Page 1159

 

Mr. Miles told legislators that the Senate Committee on Finance had closed the library budget by making several changes to the recommendations.  He said:

 

      First they've increased the bookmobile category by $26,000 which comes from $13,000 each year in General Fund appropriation and $13,000 annually in a county-challenged match revenue.  In addition to that they have broadened the scope of the revenue to support the book budget to include sales of materials.  In addition to that they've deleted the reorganization savings and increased Vacancy Savings which is the same thing as restoring the assistant state librarian position, at least through vacancy savings.

 

Mr. Stevens declared the assembly had taken similar action concerning reorganization savings which were placed into vacancy savings.  He acknowledged $26,000 was added to the bookmobile budget which would be funded from federal Title I funds.  He said

 

it had been recommended that the library's book budget should be funded one-third from the General Fund, one-third from federal Title I funds and one-third from gifts and donations.   He explained the one-third General Fund cost would come to $51,300 in each year of the biennium. 

 

Senator Raggio opined the result of the action to use Title I funding would reduce the amount available for grants to county libraries.  Mr. Stevens agreed that was correct. 

 

Mr. Marvel stated he had talked with Joan Kerschner, Director, State Library and Archives, who said the library had been using Title I funds primarily for enhancements.  He said Ms. Kerschner was aware there probably would not be enhancements in the next biennium.  He declared, "She more or less guaranteed that Title I money would go to make up the balance for the bookmobiles."

 

Mrs. Evans asked for a clarification of the senate's proposal to use "sale of materials."  Senator Raggio explained a general discussion of both museums and libraries brought forth the idea there could be a potential for some revenue from the sale of excess volumes or those which might be inappropriate for the collection.  It had been suggested there may be a market for those volumes. 

 

Senator Coffin commented the suggestion had not been such a good idea after all.  Admitting he has some insight into museums and libraries, he said:

 

      They do get a lot of things that are duplicative and they do get a lot of things that could be sold and are sold frequently but they don't want to have the responsibility for that....  There's an ethical standard that prohibits certain actions that they take.... I wouldn't want them to do anything...outside their ethical standards....

 

Mrs. Evans stated there was an opportunity to dispose of extra copies which had been given to professors at the university or given to county libraries by friends'[Friends of the Library] groups.  She pointed out the state library is a different type of entity with primarily government documents and publications.  Senator Raggio interjected the proposal to sell extra items was being reconsidered at the recommendation of Senator Coffin.  Senator Coffin affirmed Senator Raggio's statement.

 

Ms. Giunchigliani reiterated, "We're looking at deleting book sales but still allow for gifts and donations for a total of $153,899.  So there's no General Fund obligation then in your budget?"  Senator Raggio responded, "We would delete both items, reduce gifts and donations and increase book sales." 

 

Ms. Giunchigliani continued, "So we are still not in agreement because the assembly went with...a third, a third and a third, and that is at one-third General Fund, one-third from Title [I] and one-third from fund-raising."  Senator Raggio interjected, "We are also not in agreement on the bookmobile amount."   Ms. Giunchigliani said:

 

      I would just strongly argue we have a state library that we spent millions and millions of dollars on, we have an obligation to put books in it.  It's irresponsible on our part not to recognize that.  I still believe we should

 

      fully fund the dollar request and not have them go out and make our schools have bake sales.... Now we are having the state agencies do it. 

 

Senator Raggio offered the opinion the trade-off would be to reduce the amount of funds available for grants to county libraries.  Ms. Giunchigliani admitted she had a problem with cost-shifting and thus, she said, "That's why I originally had tried to say let's do 75 percent of the General Fund, leave the federal fund and then leave 25 percent for the gifts and donations so the cost-shift does not occur...at the county level...."

 

Mr. Arberry announced the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means would prefer to hold the budget.  Senator Raggio agreed to hold the budget on the Nevada State Library.  He suggested the Senate Committee on Finance might want to delete the $153,899 item.  Senator Rawson stated the subcommittee would prefer to wait until they had an opportunity to discuss it.

 

Nevada State Council on the Arts - Page 1177

 

Mr. Miles reported the Senate Committee on Finance had closed the arts council budget by including a longevity payment of $800 each year for employees which had been omitted in the Governor's recommendation.

 

Mr. Stevens said the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means had closed the budget according to the Governor's recommendation.  He declared the assembly had considered the longevity pay but had come to the conclusion the small sum could be absorbed through vacancy savings.

 

      SENATOR RAWSON MOVED TO CONCUR WITH THE ACTION OF THE ASSEMBLY.

 

      SENATOR JACOBSEN SECONDED THE MOTION.

 

      THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE.

 

      BUDGET CLOSED.

 

      * * * * *

 

Museum, Library and Arts Administration - Page 1182

 

Senator Raggio noted that the Senate Committee on Finance and the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means were in concurrence on the budget and no further action would be necessary.  He said, "They're just displayed differently." 

 

      BUDGET CLOSED.

 

      * * * * *

 

Senator Raggio asked if there was any further business to come before the committee.

 

Mrs. Williams declared,  "I would like to have this noted for the record, that I do not agree with locating the Office of Science and Technology in the Commission on Economic Development.  I believe it belongs in the Governor's Office."

 

 

 

In the absence of further business Senator Raggio adjourned the meeting at 9:32 a.m.

 

 

                                    RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

     

 

     

                                                            

                                    Judy Jacobs,

                                    Committee Secretary

 

 

 

APPROVED BY:

 

 

 

 

                                   

Senator William J. Raggio, Chairman

 

 

DATE:                              

 

 

 

 

                                   

Mr. Morse Arberry, Jr., Chairman

 

 

DATE:                              

 

??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senate Committee on Finance

Assembly Committee on Ways and Means

May 4, 1993

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