MINUTES OF THE meeting

of the

ASSEMBLY SubCommittee on Government Affairs

 

Seventy-First Session

March 13, 2001

 

 

 

 

The Subcommittee on Government Affairswas called to order at 9:05 a.m., on Tuesday, March 13, 2001.  Chairman David Humke presided in Room 3143 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada.  Exhibit A is the Agenda.  Exhibit B is the Guest List.  All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

 

 

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Mr.                     David Humke, Chairman

Mr.                     Harry Mortenson

Ms.                     Debbie Smith

 

GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:

 

            Douglas Bache, Assembly District 11

 

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Eileen O’Grady, Committee Counsel

Dave Ziegler, Committee Policy Analyst

Virginia Letts, Committee Secretary

 

 

 

 

Assembly Bill 19:  Creates forecast council and related technical advisory committees to produce long-term forecasts of state revenues and expenditures and estimates of impacts of proposed programs. (BDR 31-203)

 

Mr. Humke said he was ready to continue with the work session from March 7, and asked the committee if they were ready to make a recommendation to the full committee.

 

 

Mrs. Smith mentioned she had talked with Ms. Parnell regarding the concerns of the makeup and appointments to the committees, and as she was not there she assumed her concerns had been adequately addressed.  Mrs. Smith, however, had concerns over the staffing and the fiscal note.  She felt there was always a chance that in using legislative staff they could become overburdened with the amount of meetings and coverage for those meetings.

 

 

Mr. Humke stated the funding for the Fiscal Division of the Legislative Counsel Bureau (LCB) was typically addressed late in the session for the coming biennium and was an exempt budget that the Department of Administration did not get involved in.  He thought, with the anticipation of the bill passing, the Fiscal Division would seek the financial resources they needed to cover the committees’ functions.  In his experience the money committees made those decisions approximately three-quarters of the way through the legislative session. 

 

 

Mrs. Smith understood the concept, but her concern was when the committee had been told the funding was only a $9,500 budget item.  She wanted to be on record that there was enough money allocated to staff in order for them to complete their tasks.  She questioned the amendment Mr. Bellister had requested regarding the Distributive School Account (DSA) for the educational funding component of the bill.

 

 

Mr. Humke replied it seemed to be a straightforward amendment that the bill drafters could take care of.

 

 

Mr. Mortensen added committee Chairman Bache suggested that the appointments should be made by the Legislative Commission and wondered what the consensus of the subcommittee was on that issue.  Mr. Humke responded he was in favor of the current language that was in the bill.  He thought the way it was worded the bill was meant to be a collaborative effort between the executive and legislative branches.  He felt it was the right thing to do in giving the chief executive input into the revenue and spending forecasting process for the state.

            ASSEMBLYMAN MORTENSEN MADE A MOTION TO RECOMMEND TO THE FULL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AN AMEND AND DO PASS A.B. 19, WITH THE AMENDMENT PROPOSED BY THE NEVADA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION TO CAPTURE THE DISTRIBUTIVE SCHOOL ACCOUNT.

 

            ASSEMBLYWOMAN SMITH SECONDED THE MOTION.

 

            THE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS AGREED UNANIMOUSLY WITH THE RECOMMENDATION.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 a.m.

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

 

 

 

Virginia Letts

Committee Secretary

 

 

APPROVED BY:

 

 

 

                       

Assemblyman Douglas Bache, Chairman

 

 

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