MINUTES OF THE meeting
of the
ASSEMBLY Committee on Government Affairs
Seventy-Second Session
February 4, 2003
The Committee on Government Affairswas called to order at 9:12 a.m., on Tuesday, February 4, 2003. Chairman Mark Manendo 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.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mr. Mark Manendo, Chairman
Mr. Kelvin Atkinson
Mr. Chad Christensen
Mr. Tom Collins
Mr. Pete Goicoechea
Mr. Tom Grady
Mr. Joe Hardy
Mr. Ron Knecht
Mrs. Ellen Koivisto
Mr. Bob McCleary
Ms. Peggy Pierce
Ms. Valerie Weber
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:
Mr. Wendell P. Williams, Vice Chairman (excused)
GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:
None
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:
Susan Scholley, Committee Policy Analyst
Eileen O'Grady, Committee Counsel
Pat Hughey, Lead Committee Secretary
OTHERS PRESENT:
Eric Anderlohr, Committee Manager
JoAnn “Rusty” Aldrich, Committee Secretary
Nancy Haywood, Committee Secretary
Rosemary Zienter, Committee Secretary
Chairman Manendo called the meeting to order at 9:12 a.m.
Chairman Manendo welcomed the members of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs, the staff, the general public and those who were listening to the Committee hearing on the World Wide Web. Chairman Manendo introduced himself by saying that he represented Assembly District No. 18 and that the Seventy-Second Session of the Nevada Legislature would be his fifth session serving in the Nevada State Legislature. He said he considered it an honor and a privilege to be the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. At the request of the Chairman, roll call was taken.
Chairman Manendo explained to the Committee members the procedure to activate the microphones in the committee hearing room and the importance of using the microphones when speaking, so that statements made for the record were sure to be recorded. He also reminded Committee members that the microphones were very sensitive and care should be taken to ensure that any statements not intended for the record would not be recorded in error.
Chairman Manendo stated that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs had an excellent staff. He introduced Susan Scholley, Committee Policy Analyst, and Eileen O’Grady, Committee Counsel. He stated that Ms. Scholley would be the person who guided the Committee and that Ms. O’Grady had staffed the Committee for several legislative sessions, and that he was grateful to have both of them staffing for the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. Chairman Manendo said Eric Anderlohr, Committee Manager, had grown up in and still resided in Assembly District No. 18. Chairman Manendo indicated Mr. Anderlohr would attend the meeting later in the morning and introduce himself. Chairman Manendo then introduced Pat Hughey, Lead Committee Secretary, and JoAnn “Rusty” Aldrich, Rosemary Zienter, and Nancy Haywood, Committee Secretaries.
Chairman Manendo then asked Assemblyman Hardy to introduce himself to the Committee.
Assemblyman Hardy said he was a family doctor, born and raised in Reno, Nevada. He indicated he had previously served as Sparks High School Student Body President, a member of the City Council of Boulder City, a member of the Clark County Debt Management Commission, and a member of the Clark County Health District. He said he looked forward to serving the people of Nevada. He also mentioned that he was married with eight children, one of whom still lived at home.
Assemblywoman Pierce said she represented Assembly District No. 3 and stated she had lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, for 14 years. She indicated she had been a community liaison for the Culinary Workers Union for the past two years and, previous to that, she had been a food server at the Desert Inn on the Las Vegas Strip. She said she had done environmental work for the local chapter of the Sierra Club in Clark County, working primarily on air quality issues, and that she had been a member of the Air Quality Forum and the Air Pollution Control Hearing Board. She indicated she was not married and did not have any children.
Assemblywoman Weber said she represented Assembly District No. 5 and that she had been born in California and had moved to Nevada in 1990. She said she had worked in the health care field for 20 years and had done everything from working in the clinical side of medicine to working in health care management. She said she had been the technical director of United Blood Services in Las Vegas for over 11 years. She said she had received her master’s degree approximately two years ago and then had decided to try working in the construction industry. She indicated her father and one brother had been in the construction industry, and that she had another brother who had worked in the field of engineering. She said she had served, along with Assemblywoman Pierce, on the Air Pollution Control Hearing Board in Clark County and that she was very interested in air quality issues. She said she was eager to serve on the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs and was looking forward to working with each member. She said she felt all the Committee members would have a great experience together.
Assemblyman Atkinson said that he represented Assembly District No. 7, had lived in Las Vegas for 12 years, and held a political science degree. He also said he had a six-year-old daughter and was not married. He said he had worked for Clark County government for 11 years. He said he was eager to get started and looked forward to working with everyone.
Assemblyman Knecht indicated he represented Assembly District No. 40 and said he was married and the father of an 18-month, 11-day-old daughter. He indicated he had spent 15 years in private business and 15 years in public service. He also said he had lived in Nevada for 18 months, coming from California. He welcomed all of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs members to Carson City. He said he was an economist with the Public Utilities Commission, and had a law degree, as well as a graduate degree in engineering-economic systems. He said he was happy to be a member of the Committee and looked forward to working with everyone.
Assemblyman McCleary said he represented Assembly District No. 11 and that he was 41 years old and had been married for 21 years. He said he had four children and had also been a foster parent to two other children. He said he had not come to the Legislature with an agenda, but that he just wanted to serve the people. He said serving in the Legislature had been a passion of his for a long time. He stated his family had come to Nevada in 1969, had attended elementary, high school, and community college in Nevada, and that his wife had been born in Nevada.
Assemblyman Christensen stated he represented Assembly District No. 13, was from Las Vegas, and that his family had moved to Nevada in 1980 after his father’s retirement from the military. He indicated he had been married for 8 years and was the father of 3 small boys, ages 6, 4 and 2. He also announced that a fourth son was due in the beginning of April. He said he was very honored to be a member of the Legislature and was looking forward to getting acquainted with everyone.
Assemblyman Collins said that he was serving his fifth term as an Assemblyman, that he was very excited about the 2003 Legislative Session, and that he was pleased to be a member of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. He stated that he had come to Nevada in 1959 with his grandparents and that he had lived in southern Nevada most of his life, except for the period when he went to college on a rodeo scholarship. He said he was very excited about being on the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs and indicated he had previously served on the North Las Vegas Planning Commission for approximately seven years and had also served as Chairman of that body at one time. He indicated that he had also been chairman of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Regional Transportation. He indicated he had worked in the construction industry and that he was a journeyman lineman by trade. He said that because of his work as a journeyman lineman, he felt he had a very good rural perspective, even though he was from Clark County. He said he was very happy to be on this Committee and that he was sure Chairman Manendo would be a great chairman. He said he felt the Committee would be able to accomplish what it needed to for the people of Nevada. He said he thought most of the Committee had already met his wife and children, and further stated that he had five grandchildren. He said he thought Nevada was a great place and that he hoped great people would be approaching the Committee microphone and that the Committee would be able to send great things forward.
In response to a question from Chairman Manendo, Assemblyman Collins spoke briefly of his rodeo experiences. He also indicated he was more concerned with natural laws rather than with social laws and proceeded to tell a short story that he said would reflect how he looked at legislation. He told of how engineers would draw a diagram on a piece of paper showing how to get power from point A to point B and he indicated that, as a journeyman lineman, he was the person in the field who actually put the wires up, with the comparison being “you can draw an outhouse on a piece of paper, but you can’t use it.” He said he looked at laws the same way and felt that many laws get passed in local, state, and federal government that do not work in reality and that he tried to take that approach in whatever he did.
Chairman Manendo expressed his appreciation to Assemblyman Collins and Assemblywoman Koivisto for their willingness to serve on the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. Chairman Manendo also congratulated Mr. Collins on his appointment as Chairman of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining Committee, and Mrs. Koivisto on her appointment as Chairwoman of the Health and Human Services Committee.
Assemblyman Grady said he represented Assembly District No. 38. He indicated he was married and had three children and seven grandchildren. He also stated he had an “adopted family”, which was local government. He said he had been Mayor of Yerington for approximately 13 years, had been Executive Director for the Nevada League of Cities for 9 years, and had a banking background. He stated he was a native Nevadan and said he looked forward to working with Chairman Manendo on the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. He said some people had referred to him as the “seasoned freshman” and offered to help the Committee in any way he could.
Susan Scholley, Committee Policy Analyst, stated she had been with the Legislative Counsel Bureau for three and one-half years. She said she had been born on the east coast, and had grown up in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pittsburgh. She said she had attended law school in San Diego and had moved to Lake Tahoe in 1977. She said she had enjoyed brief careers as a “ski bum” and as a craps dealer. She indicated she had two teenage girls and looked forward to working with the Committee.
Eileen O’Grady, Committee Counsel, said she had been working with the Legislature for ten years and that the current Legislative Session would be her fourth session being assigned to the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. She said she had found working with the Committee interesting and learned a lot during each Legislative session. She stated she was originally from San Francisco and had lived in Nevada for ten years. She also stated she was married and the parent of a little girl.
Assemblywoman Koivisto said this was her first time on the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs and her fourth term with the Nevada Legislature. She indicated she had been married for 41 years and had four children, ranging in age from 40 to 31. She also said she had nine grandchildren with a tenth grandchild due soon. She said she worked at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and that she looked forward to learning a lot during the session.
Assemblyman Goicoechea stated he was a third-generation rancher, lived in Eureka, Nevada, with his wife of 30 years, and had 2 children. One child attended Boise State University and the other child was a veterinarian. Mr. Goicoechea indicated he represented Assembly District No. 35. He indicated he had served 16 years as a county commissioner and had also served on several other boards including the Nevada Rural Health Centers Board and the Humboldt River Basin Water Authority. He said he looked forward to being in the Nevada Assembly and representing Assembly District No. 35, as well as the rest of Nevada.
Rosemary Zienter, Committee Secretary, indicated she had moved to Nevada six months ago from Tucson, Arizona, where she had retired from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. She said she had two daughters, one son, and two granddaughters in Tucson and was very happy to be working for the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs.
Pat Hughey, Lead Committee Secretary, indicated she had lived in Carson City, Nevada, since 1976. She stated she was married with two grown sons, and that her oldest son was currently serving in the United States Navy. She said that before she came to work for the Nevada Legislature, she had worked for six years as the Office Manager at the Carson City Planning Department and had also been a recording secretary for the city of Carson City, and had taken minutes of meetings for several different Carson City boards and commissions.
Nancy Haywood, Committee Secretary, indicated she had worked for 5 years as a high school counselor, 13 years as an elementary school counselor, and 26 years as a middle school counselor. She said she had recently been a rehabilitation/recovery counselor in the area of drug and alcohol abuse, and had worked with men’s groups that included wonderful people whom she felt had shown enormous courage while they had attempted to make major changes in their lives. She said she had also co-facilitated adolescent recovery groups and loved every moment that she had spent with every child. She said she was married and had five children, with four of them being stepchildren. She said she had ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She also stated she held a private pilot’s license.
JoAnn “Rusty” Aldrich, Committee Secretary, said she had been born and raised in California and had lived in Alaska for 17 years. She said she had a degree in philosophy from the University of California. She stated that her husband had been a fire chief in Alaska for 20 years and with him, she had lived in Fairbanks, Valdez, and Juneau, Alaska. She had no children. She said she had lived at Lake Tahoe in the 1970s and loved the Sierras. She said that even though she had enjoyed her experiences in Alaska, she was glad to be back in the Sierras and hoped to do a good job for the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs.
Eric Anderlohr, Committee Manager, stated he had lived in Las Vegas for 29 years and had known Chairman Manendo for approximately 20 years. He indicated that this would be his second session as a legislative attaché and that as a committee manager, he would have more responsibility this time. He said he felt that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs staff was very professional, that he was working with a great group of people, and that he was very happy to be working for the Committee.
Chairman Manendo reiterated that he thought the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs had a great staff and that he looked forward to working with them. Chairman Manendo said this would be his fifth Legislative session, but it would be his first time to serve on the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. He said he was originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, and had moved to Nevada in 1982. He indicated he had a degree in restaurant, casino, and hotel management. He said he had never been married, but had a wonderful mother, sister and brother-in-law, as well as two handsome nephews.
Chairman Manendo presented coffee mugs to each of the Committee members and staff and said he hoped everyone liked them. He indicated there was another “goodie” coming for everyone and hoped that they would arrive by the next week.
Chairman Manendo indicated he had been looking forward to serving as Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. He pointed out that there were several freshmen on the Committee and said that serving on the Committee would be a learning experience for everyone. He also indicated that serving on the Committee would be a team effort for the people of the state of Nevada. He said that it was an honor to hold a position in the Nevada State Assembly, that it was the people’s house, and that the Committee would be doing the people’s work.
Chairman Manendo indicated that the Committee members had received a copy of the Standing Rules of the Assembly Committee Government Affairs (Exhibit C) and asked for a motion to approve the same.
ASSEMBLYMAN COLLINS MOVED TO APPROVE THE STANDING RULES OF THE ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
ASSEMBLYMAN GRADY SECONDED THE MOTION.
THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. (Mr. Williams was absent for the vote.)
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Chairman Manendo thanked Susan Scholley, Committee Policy Analyst, for her help after he had been appointed Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. He said he appreciated the preliminary work Ms. Scholley had done to get the Committee up and running.
Ms. Scholley indicated that Mr. Dave Ziegler had previously staffed the Assembly Government Affairs, but that he had left the Legislative Counsel Bureau to accept a position as the Executive Director of the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency. She indicated she looked forward to the challenge of staffing the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs for the first time. She indicated that Eileen O’Grady had staffed the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs during previous sessions and had the institutional memory that the Committee could call upon.
Ms. Scholley noted that, as a member of the Legislative Counsel Bureau staff, she was non-partisan and, therefore, she would neither advocate nor oppose any legislation. She indicated that her job was to assist the Committee as a whole, as well as to assist individual Committee members with any policy questions that might arise regarding matters that came before the Committee. She also reminded the Committee that both she and Ms. O’Grady would be happy to help Committee members with any individual requests or any other matter that may arise during the Legislative Session.
Referring to the Committee Policy Brief(Exhibit D), Ms. Scholley explained that all Nevada Legislative Committees prepared a Committee Brief for the purpose of advising Committee members of legislation that had passed through that particular Committee during the previous session and, to the extent possible, alert the Committee members to issues that could come before it during the current session.
Ms. Scholley said that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs had one of the highest bill volumes in the Legislature and that the jurisdictions of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs and the Senate Committee on Government Affairs were very similar, but with some minor exceptions. She explained that the Senate Committee on Assembly Government Affairs had jurisdiction over elections and ethics, but in the Assembly, the Elections, Procedures, and Ethics Committee handled those issues. She explained that the Senate Committee on Government Affairs also had jurisdiction over state parks, monuments, and digital signatures, but that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs did not. She further explained that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs had jurisdiction over the various chapters of the Nevada Revised Statutes that dealt with fire protection, water, libraries, and museums, and also three chapters of Title 58, Energy; Public Utilities and Similar Entities, but that the Senate Committee on Government Affairs did not.
Ms. Scholley said that on pages 2 through 7 of the Committee Policy Brief (Exhibit D) was a brief summary of the major bills that had passed through the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs in the 2001 Legislative Session. She indicated that if any Committee members wanted to receive more information on any of the bills listed, they should contact her for the information. She also indicated that at least three measures from the 2001 Legislative Session would be returning to the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. She pointed out that issues related to Assembly Bill 555 of the Seventy-first Legislative Session, which established a re-employment program for retired state employees in certain jobs classified as having critical labor shortages would be addressed during the current session. She also noted that Assembly Joint Resolution 1 of the Seventeenth Special Session, which was a resolution to amend the Constitution of the State of Nevada by creating a commission on salaries and might be brought forward during the current session. She noted that A.J.R. 1 of the Seventeenth Special Session was outlined on Page 7 of the Committee Policy Brief (Exhibit D). She said she also expected a Senate bill to be introduced that would amend Senate Bill 329 of the Seventy-first Legislative Session.
Ms. Scholley pointed out that there were two reports the Committee members might want to review that had resulted from last session. The first was Bulletin 03-3, Incorporation of Towns, and the second was a Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) study that had resulted from the passage of Assembly Bill 431 of the Seventy-first Legislative Session regarding recommendations for lump sum retirement programs. Ms. Scholley said she would be happy to provide copies of either of the reports to Committee members.
Ms. Scholley then pointed out that in the area of public utilities, the jurisdiction of the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs had changed from last session. She noted that the last five pages of the Committee Policy Brief (Exhibit D) contained a list of the titles and chapters of the Nevada Revised Statutes that are generally recommended for referral to the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs. She noted that, unlike last session, most of the chapters in Title 58, Energy; Public Utilities and Similar Entities, would be referred to the Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor, but that there were three chapters that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs had retained jurisdiction over. She indicated that the Committee would be busy with bills affecting counties, cities and towns, such as proposed salary increases for county officials and the creation of incorporated towns. She noted that the Committee would also be examining charter amendments for at least five cities. She also pointed out that local government liability, as well as planning, zoning, and redevelopment issues, would be the subject of several bill draft requests (BDRs). Ms. Scholley said she thought that regional planning issues in the northern part of the State might come before the Committee. She also said the Committee might hear bills related to state employees, most notably collective bargaining, and a number of bills related to salaries and benefits. She indicated that the current count of bills related to the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and the Public Employees’ Benefits Program (PEBP) was over 15 and would go higher. Public works projects and prevailing wage issues would also be the subject of several bills. The Committee would also hear bills related to the Nevada Open Meeting Law and to the Nevada Public Records Act.
Ms. Scholley indicated that several audits had been completed during the last session that related to matters under the Committee’s jurisdiction and indicated that any Committee member who wished to receive copies of the audits should contact the Audit Division or Ms. Scholley.
Ms. Scholley noted that she had listed key deadline dates that the Committee should be aware of on page 9 of the Committee Policy Brief(Exhibit D). The key deadline dates were:
Ms. Scholley said that returning legislators would notice that that the deadlines had been moved forward a few days from what they had been during the last session. She indicated it was hoped that by moving the dates up, some of the chaos that had occurred at the end of the 2001 Legislative Session would be avoided in the current Legislative Session.
Ms. Scholley indicated that she had included a list of key state government contacts and organizations in the Committee Policy Brief (Exhibit D). She said she would expand the list as the Legislative Session progressed and asked that anyone who wanted his or her agency or organization added to the list to speak to her after the meeting.
Ms. Scholley re-emphasized that if she or Ms. O’Grady could be of assistance regarding matters before the Committee or regarding any individual or personal requests, Committee members should not hesitate to contact either one of them. She indicated that all information would remain confidential and that if she or Ms. O’Grady were not able to answer the inquiry, they would forward the request to the proper person.
Assemblyman Knecht congratulated Ms. Scholley on an outstanding Committee Policy Brief (Exhibit D). He indicated that he had read the January 17, 2003, version of the brief and had noted several changes between that version of the brief and the one distributed at the current meeting and asked if there were any other changes made other than the ones he had noted. Ms. Scholley said the only changes made to the latest version were the ones Mr. Knecht had noted.
Chairman Manendo pointed out to those in the audience that the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs wanted to keep an accurate record of those who attended Committee meetings and asked that audience members record their names, whom they represented, and a contact number on the sign-in sheet, even if they did not plan to testify. He indicated that if someone wanted to speak to a certain piece of legislation that he or she should note on the sign‑in sheet whether he or she wished to speak for or against an issue. He also asked that audience members provide a business card to the secretarial staff.
Chairman Manendo then reviewed the starting times for Assembly Committee on Government Affairs meetings. He indicated that 8:30 a.m. would be the starting time for Committee meetings for the remainder of the current week. Beginning with the week of Monday, February 10, 2003, Monday meetings would begin at 9:00 a.m. and Tuesday through Friday meetings would begin at 8:00 a.m.
Chairman Manendo informed the Committee members that Assembly Bill 3, which required the paid leave of absence of certain duration for public officers and employees who donated bone marrow or certain organs, would be heard at the next day’s meeting. He said that Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons would be testifying on behalf of A.B. 3. He also indicated there would be presentations before the Committee by various organizations for the remainder of the week. He made sure all of the Committee members were receiving agendas. Chairman Manendo indicated that, because of the volume of bills the Committee would be hearing, he would be assigning various Committee members to chair and serve on sub-committees so that all the Committee members would have the opportunity to become familiar with the processes. He also indicated that when bills were passed out of Committee, he planned to assign the discussion of the various bills on the Floor of the Assembly to different Committee members and indicated that staff would assemble overviews of each bill. He indicated that he wanted to give everyone an opportunity to participate in the process and to have the opportunity to try different things. He said he appreciated everyone being present and looked forward to working with everyone.
There being no further business, Chairman Manendo adjourned the meeting at 9:59 a.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
Pat Hughey
Committee Secretary
APPROVED BY:
Assemblyman Mark Manendo, Chairman
DATE: