Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Constitutional amendment would stop state from pushing programs onto local government

CARSON CITY – It’s time for the state to stop pushing its programs onto local governments, says Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas.

He has introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to require a two-thirds vote in the Legislature before the state can order local governments to perform a service or for the state to dip into the reserve money of cities or counties.

In the current session of the Legislature there are suggestions in the budget of Gov. Brian Sandoval that revenues from local government be transferred to the state and that the state transfer programs into local governments.

There is an estimate $500 million that local governments would have to bear if these suggestions were approved.

Lee said, “We have to make sure we are not balancing the budget on the backs of local government.”

He said there has to be an examination of what the responsibilities of each the state and local government entity are.

The resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 9, would also require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to decrease the revenues or reserves of a local government.

To become effective, the resolution would have to pass this session and the 2013 session of the Legislature and then be ratified by voters.

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