Budget issues dominated 2009 Legislature

CARSON VALLEY, Nev.

by Kurt Hildebrand

khildebrand@recordcourier.com

Sophomore Assemblyman James Settelmeyer, R-Gardnerville, likened the 2009 Legislature to a card game where no one held a winning hand.

"In a lot of situations we did the best we could with the cards we were dealt," he told members of the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce during their luncheon on Wednesday.

Settelmeyer said the session focused on what he described as the worst deficit experienced by any state in the union.

"We were down 40 percent," he said. "People talk about how many millions California was short, but when you look at the percentage of budget it's much less than Nevada's. We literally turned people upside down until there was no money left that we could shake free."

He said there were places the Legislature cut, but not enough. He supported conducting a cost-benefit analysis on every program instituted in the last six years to see if they were worth the money.

Settelmeyer pointed out that a tax increase five years ago resulted in growing government.

"Now we're looking at the reality of what we can cut," he said. "If a baby is born addicted to crack, we can't save that money. If a child needs to be in foster care, we can't save that money. There wasn't enough time or desire to make more cuts."

He said going into the session he thought all the divisions in the Legislature would be along party lines, but that wasn't the case.

The real conflict occurred between the Assembly and the Senate which ended up being public by the end of the 120-day session.

"We did prove you could complete a session in 120 days," he said. "We did it in 110 days. But the last 10 days we spent focusing on laws like fire-safe cigarettes and mandating seat belts."

Settelmeyer said he opposed attempts to alter legislation introduced by initiatives.

"When the people vote on an initiative, the people are deciding what they want," he said. "If you want it changed, it should go back to the people or to the courts. When we do that, it's like we're telling people we think we're better than they are."

Settelmeyer said he also opposed the increase in the modified business tax.

"The state's unemployment rate is 11.3 percent, and I don't want to see it go to 20," he said. "That's what can happen when you have a tax based on the number of employees per se."

He said many of the fights lawmakers engaged in over the budget will be back for the 2011 session, in addition to reapportionment.

"I expect we'll see more of the same," he said. "One question I have is what we'll see from you the people."

Settelmeyer said he's heard from groups who felt that mining and gaming weren't taxed enough in the session and may be producing initiatives to correct that.

He said a special session sometime over the next two years is a good bet.

"I'd put money on it," he said.