Nevada’s 79th Legislative Session:
This week, the Nevada Policy Research Institute unveiled its “Taxpayer’s Guide to the Legislative Session.” The guide will feature important bills, along with a short description of the impact of each and whether or not it promotes the interests of taxpayers. The guide’s bill evaluations will be an important factor in the creation of the Institute’s upcoming 2017 Legislative Report Card. As Mark Twain said, “no man’s life, liberty or property is safe when the legislature is in session!” Now taxpayers can see why Twain was so very correct. (Read more)
Government regulation:
Nevada lawmakers have had more than four hours of testimony and presentations over ways to clamp down on “payday lenders” in the state. The two bills being discussed would limit the interest rate applied to these short term loans, and create a statewide database to prohibit consumers from taking out multiple loans at one time. Both bills represent a large government intrusion into the private financial affairs of Nevada citizens. (Read more)
Fiscal and taxes:
Nevada State Senate President Pro Tempore Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, has introduced a bill that would increase spending on public education by more than $1 billion. The proposal would increase per-pupil funding for special needs students, low income students and non-English speakers. Advocates claim the additional spending is needed in order to improve Nevada’s failing schools. Maybe, rather than throwing even more money into a system that has failed Nevada families for decades, lawmakers should consider empowering parents and students directly — by funding and implementing the state’s Education Savings Accounts. (Read more)
Partisan politics:
How does “Harry Reid International Airport” sound to you? If state Sen. Tick Segerblom has his way, that’s what McCarran International Airport would be called from now on. Senate Bill 174, which would authorize the name change, was slated for discussion Friday. An amendment has already been added to ensure that any name change be funded by private donations, and not taxpayer dollars. (Read more)
Healthcare:
Republicans have unveiled their plan to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act — and yet, according to free-market critics, it looks far more like an effort to repackage rather than repeal. While the law institutes some important reforms to Obamacare, many of the regulatory burdens of the ACA will remain untouched. Judging by how reluctant lawmakers are to substantively take on Obamacare, it seems appropriate to paraphrase Ronald Reagan: “A government [entitlement program] is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” [Read more]