MINUTES OF THE meeting

of the

ASSEMBLY Committee on Government Affairs

 

Seventy-Second Session

March 7, 2003

 

 

The Committee on Government Affairswas called to order at 9:47 a.m., on Friday, March 7, 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. 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:

 

Assemblyman Tom Collins (excused)

Assemblyman Wendell P. Williams (excused)

 

GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:

 

None

 

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Susan Scholley, Committee Policy Analyst

Eileen O'Grady, Committee Counsel

JoAnn Aldrich, Committee Secretary

OTHERS PRESENT:

 

Scott K. Sisco, Interim Director, Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs

Susan Boskoff, Executive Director, Nevada Arts Council

 

 

Chairman Manendo recognized Assemblyman Knecht.

 

Assemblyman Knecht made the following statement (Exhibit C):

 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  I wanted to make a very brief statement concerning yesterday’s business.  Today the Nevada Appeal carried a statement in its coverage of yesterday’s meeting of the Assembly Government Affairs Committee claiming that:

 

“During an earlier hearing Knecht argued that the measure A.B. 65 runs counter to efforts to restrain budgetary growth in state government.”

 

This morning I reviewed the audio/video tape of the earlier meeting and it confirms my clear recall that I did not make any such argument.  The Nevada Appeal’s statement is factually in error.  The latest in a series of inaccurate and unfair reports.  I have requested that the paper correct it. 

 

In any event, I ask that this statement be entered into the minutes of this Committee, so that the public record is clear on this matter.  I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to make it.

 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, members of the Committee.

 

Chairman Manendo asked the Committee secretary to incorporate Mr. Knecht’s statement into the record of the meeting, as a courtesy to a colleague and Committee member.

 

 

Assembly Bill 224:  Revises provisions relating to Nevada Arts Council. (BDR 18-531)

 

Chairman Manendo opened the hearing on A.B. 224 and apologized for being late to the meeting because he was testifying in front of the Judiciary Committee.

 

Scott K. Sisco, Interim Director, Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs, introduced himself and his colleague, Susan Boskoff, Executive Director, Nevada Arts Council (NAC).  He mentioned that Ronald M. James, State Historic Preservation Officer and Historian, was in the audience.

 

Mr. Sisco presented the Committee secretary with a copy of his testimony (Exhibit D) and said that he would like to explain the purpose and function of the Department of Cultural Affairs to the new Committee members.  He directed the Committee to look at the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs Budget Presentation handout (Exhibit E) that outlined the services provided by the department.

 

The Budget Presentation handout included an organization chart for the Department of Cultural Affairs which clearly outlined its four divisions:  Museums and History Division, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Nevada Arts Council, and the Nevada State Library and Archives. 

 

The second page detailed the Governor’s overall budget request for an overall budget reduction of 5.2 percent to the Department of Cultural Affairs, including a loss of 11 staff positions.  On the third page, a pie chart showed that the Department of Cultural Affairs received 0.48 percent of the General Fund monies.  On the fourth page, a chart showed that over 5 million Nevada citizens received and/or requested services from the Department of Cultural Affairs.

 

On the fifth and sixth pages were photos showing the various programs offered through the NAC, and a list that summarized budget cuts, which amounted to $86,400.  Page seven showed an organization chart of the NAC, and their five main program areas:  Arts in Education, Folklife Programs, Community Arts Development, Grants Programs, and Artists’ Services Programs.  The last four pages were copies of the NAC’s 2004-2005 Biennial Budget Request, Expanded Program Narrative, which showed some detail information about each of the programs areas listed above.

 

Mr. Sisco said he came today to point out the important role that culture played in the state’s economic and overall development.  He said that history showed that communities with access to culture, the arts, museums, libraries, and other amenities, thrive and prosper.  The success of cities like New York, San Francisco, Denver, and Santa Fe illustrate the truth of this statement.  Mr. Sisco said that these communities were desirable to businesses because of the available cultural activities there.  He said that businesses looked for those resources when deciding where to relocate and what to invest in.  Last November Nevadans approved Ballot Measure No. 1, which would increase taxes to cover a $200,000 bond issue to protect, preserve, and improve cultural resources, including construction of a new $35 million museum in Las Vegas.  At the same time, Nevada voters turned down two special use tax exemptions.

 

Mr. Sisco then turned to the subject of cultural tourism.  He told the Committee that over the last decade cultural tourism had become a prominent factor in how travelers selected their destinations.  Mr. Sisco said that cultural tourists visited every community in Nevada, and those who traveled for cultural purposes stayed longer and spent more.  Those reasons supported the importance of and the need for the services of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

 

He said that the Governor’s goal was to make the state the kind of place where Nevadans’ children and grandchildren would grow and thrive.

 

Assemblywoman Pierce asked for more information about the new Las Vegas museum.  Mr. Sisco said that the $35 million bond issue would build a new museum at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.  The old Las Vegas Museum in Lorenzi Park was built almost 22 years ago.  When the residential community developed around the museum, tour busses stopped visiting, attendance declined, and revenues declined to the point they could not support the museum.  Teachers wanted to keep the museum for use by the school district, because it was heavily visited on field trips.  Partly for this reason, the new museum would be located in the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.  The museum was expected to open about 2005-2006.

 

The Chairman said that Committee members had strong feelings for the arts, and acknowledged the importance of the arts in the community and in the state in terms of quality of life. 

 

Mr. Sisco said that A.B. 224 was the only bill from the Department of Cultural Affairs during the 2003 Legislative Session, but he added that there were several bills affecting the various agencies and programs of the department.  For that reason, Mr. Sisco expected to testify before the Committee numerous times before the end of the 2003 Legislative Session.

 

A.B. 224 would clear up confusion in the Nevada Revised Statutes, Chapter 233, pertaining to the NAC, and would rewrite that chapter in order to match the statutes to the actual operation and organizational structure of the division. 

 

A.B. 224 would also clear up a confusing name situation that began during the state reorganization in 1993.  At the time, the Nevada Arts Council, the “state agency,” was placed under the Department of Cultural Affairs, as one of four divisions.  That change meant that the Nevada Arts Council, the “council” that was originally appointed by and reported to the Governor, had the same name as the state agency within the Department of Cultural Affairs.  The “council” originally had oversight over the administration and operations of the “state agency” that was reorganized in 1993. 

 

Mr. Sisco stated that NRS 233 as it currently existed made it almost impossible to tell the difference between the NAC, the “council,” and the NAC, the “state agency.”  Essentially, there were two separate entities with the same name:  the NAC appointed by the Governor to promote the Arts and oversee grants distribution, and the NAC, the state agency, which was administered by the Department of Cultural Affairs.

 

In addition to changing the name of the NAC, the “council,” appointed by the Governor to the “Board of the Nevada Arts Council,” A.B. 224 defined the responsibility of both the newly named Board and the NAC, the state agency. 

 

The Board responsibilities were similar to other boards, providing guidance and oversight of certain department functions, including recommendations for strategic planning, determining and updating the mission, goals, and objectives of the division, and recommendations for cultural policies and priorities for the state of Nevada.  The Board would also hold regular meetings to receive public comment and to discuss issues relevant to carrying out its duties.  One of the major functions was to review and approve state and federal grant applications, which was one area that needed to be updated in statute, because it was unclear which “Nevada Arts Council” had authority to adopt grant-related regulations.

 

A.B. 224 further defined the duties of the administrator to indicate organizational structure as the division fit into the department and to match the responsibilities for the administrator to that of other division administrators within the department.

 

Assemblyman Hardy asked if any of the names had been changed in this bill, or if the two entities still had the same name. 

 

Mr. Sisco said that they were recommending that the name of the Nevada Arts Council, the “council,” should be changed to the “Board of the Nevada Arts Council.”  He said they did not want to change the name of the state agency, because it was recognized throughout the state and nationally, and the name was important to securing federal funding.

 

Ms. Boskoff introduced herself and said that her testimony would be brief.  She said that the Nevada Arts Council’s Annual Report 2002 (Exhibit F) was also a guide to services, for public information, statistics, grant listings, and as the internal document for evaluating the effectiveness of their public services.

 

The other handout was a quarterly newsletter, now published three times per year in print and online, titled Arts News (Exhibit G).  The newsletter highlighted the agency’s activities, the communities, the grantees, and provided national and regional information, and listed upcoming activities. 

 

The NAC was created in 1967, three years after the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts.  Ms. Boskoff stated that the NAC had two offices, one in Carson City, and a small one in Las Vegas that was very active.  She said that there were local arts councils in Henderson, in Boulder City, and in Mesquite, but not in Las Vegas, so the NAC in Las Vegas served as a point of contact for artists there. 

 

Ms. Boskoff stated that last year, NAC funding reached all 17 counties in Nevada through their programs and services.  The NAC had awarded approximately $1 million annually through the various programs, and most of those were matching grants.  Challenge Grants required a 3-to-1 match with new monies.  Last year the NAC received close to 600 grant applications.  The NAC used a peer review process to review all grant applications, and they were reviewed by an omnibus panel that included out-of-state panelists, who brought expertise and perspective to those decisions.  Three days of public hearings in Carson City were also part of the grant application review process.

 

Ms. Boskoff announced that Nevada had been the first state arts council in the country to post grant applications on their Web site.  To apply for the six different grants in the Arts in Education program, all applicants were required to go on-line.  This improved the quality of grant writing and allowed the NAC to capture an enormous amount of data to be used for analysis and for planning.  Culture Grant applications were also available on-line, as part of the Regional Pilot Project of the Western States Arts Federation, which included California.

 

In addition to grants, Ms. Boskoff stated that the NAC provided many programs, projects, and initiatives all over the state.  The Artists in Residency program placed professional artists in residency at communities, schools, and other institutions throughout the state.  The artists were in residency for eight hours per day, taught classes for four hours per day, and did their artwork for the other four hours in a public setting.  She said that this showed children and others that being an artist was a viable and honorable profession.  Also, Tumblewords:  Writers Rollin’ Around the West was a regional literature program that sent writers from western Nevada to other communities for free readings and workshops. 

 

Ms. Boskoff said they were proud of all their programs and projects, and one of the most successful had been the Folklife Educational Initiative, a creation of Jeanne Johnson in the Carson City NAC office.  Ms. Johnson had reached more than 3,000 students, and had taught more than 90 workshops for 4^th graders in Carson City, Douglas, and Washoe Counties in the last several years.  She showed slides and had hands-on activities to teach ethnic and cultural awareness of other traditions within their own environment.

 

Sue Coleman, who received a Governor’s Arts Award that week, and who had an exhibit in the NAC offices, was a master Washoe willow weaver.  She went into the schools with her baskets and gave presentations to the children.  NAC would like to spread those presentations into other Nevada counties.

 

Ms. Boskoff noted that the NAC showcased artwork by Nevada artists in the lobby of the Legislative Building, and that rotating art exhibits also decorated the NAC offices.  Although the displays would change every two weeks, they were representative of different disciplines.  The current exhibit was by Doug Groves, from Elko County, a saddle and bridle maker.

 

Assemblyman Goicoechea clarified that Doug Groves was a cow boss on the TS Ranch in Eureka in Lander County.  He said that Mr. Groves could do anything with leather, and that most of his work was rawhide braiding.  Ms. Boskoff added that his wife worked with him, as well. 

 

The last project Ms. Boskoff described was the wild horse exhibit, Honest Horses: A Portrait of the Mustang in Nevada’s Great Basin, a series of hand-tinted photographs taken by artist Paul Morin.  The Folk Arts and Community Arts programs put the exhibit together with funding from the NAC, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the United States Forest Service (USFS).  The purpose of the traveling exhibit was to address the “very volatile and important issue of wild horses and natural resources.”  The Honest Horses exhibit had been on tour throughout Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and California, and was scheduled to continue for another two years.

 

Ms. Boskoff thanked the Chairman for allowing her to introduce the Committee to the Nevada Arts Council.  The Chairman expressed his appreciation for the art displays in the lobby of the Legislative Building.

 

Chairman Manendo asked how A.B. 224 would affect the organization chart.  Mr. Sisco said that the bill would have no effect at all on the organization chart, because the name of the NAC would not change.  However, the advisory board to the NAC would be renamed “Board of the Nevada Arts Council.”

 

Mr. Sisco added that there were seven to nine advisory boards in the Department of Cultural Affairs.

 

Assemblywoman Weber questioned the meaning of the phrase “natural persons.”  Eileen O’Grady answered that, per the NRS, a “natural person” was defined as a human individual, not a corporation, organization, or other entity.

 

Assemblywoman Koivisto said that the bill indicated there was a state fiscal note, and she wondered what the amount was.  Mr. Sisco said that was a mystery, and must be some kind of default notation because there were no fiscal notes attached to A.B. 224.

 

Chairman Manendo said that the Chairman of Ways and Means Committee might still take the bill from the floor, and that he would mention this to the chairman of that committee.

 

Assemblyman Grady wanted to thank the NAC for all they had done with the theater in Yerington, and for the different art displays in the county government offices.  Ms. Boskoff said the NAC not only worked on the Yerington theater project, but that program was also a signature program funded by the Commission for Cultural Affairs of the State Historic Preservation Office, and was one of the first theaters to open its doors in Nevada.

 

Mr. Sisco thanked the Committee members for their time, and urged them to “speed the bill along.”  Chairman Manendo asked if anyone else wanted to testify on A.B. 224.  No one came forward, so the Chairman closed the hearing on A.B. 224.

 

Chairman Manendo said he would bring the bill back to the Committee later and would not entertain a motion today, but that he might consider a vote early next week.

 

Chairman Manendo thanked the Committee for their hard work, and said that quite a few people had mentioned that this Committee was doing a wonderful job.  He congratulated the Committee and support staff for being “phenomenal.”

 

The Chairman reminded Committee members that their next meeting would be at 9:00 a.m. on Monday morning.

 

Assemblyman McCleary added that there would be a subcommittee meeting at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday to discuss Assemblyman Collin’s bill, A.B. 196, which authorized certain local governments to require dedication of certain land or impose tax on nonresidential construction projects for regional parks.

 

Chairman Manendo adjourned the meeting at 10:22 a.m.

 

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

 

 

 

                                                           

JoAnn Aldrich

Committee Secretary

 

 

APPROVED BY:

 

 

 

                                                                                         

Assemblyman Mark Manendo, Chairman

 

 

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