Cost of legislative session estimated at $18 million

By Cy Ryan

Monday, Dec. 22, 2014 | 5 p.m.

The first bill to be presented and approved by the 2015 Legislature calls for $18 million to pay for the 120-day session.

Senate Bill 1 will cover the salary, per diem and travel for the lawmakers and for their office staff.

Lawmakers will receive a daily salary of $146 for the first 60 days — there is no salary after 60 days. Their per diem daily allowance, which is intended to cover the legislator's lodging, meals, and incidental expenses, is S148 for the full 120 days. And $10,000 is set aside for travel for each legislator who must submit a travel claim each week to justify expenses.

Rick Combs, director of the Legislative Counsel Commission, said Monday the initial bill in 2013 called for $15 million, but $18 million was required for the session plus the one-day special session. The 2015 session begins Feb. 2.

So far, legislators, state agencies and others have asked for 936 bills to be drafted.

Combs also told the Legislative Commission that he is proposing a two-year budget of $62.3 million to finance the full-time staff of the Legislature. That is 3.7 percent higher than the current spending program.

That budget is being submitted to Gov. Brian Sandoval for inclusion in his spending program.

Combs said he is including $200,000 for out-of-state travel for lawmakers to attend regional and national conferences.

He said that was eliminated during cutbacks in the recession.

That raised objections from Senate Majority Leader designate Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, who said the taxpayers should not be hit with this cost.

“We can’t justify this,” he said. He suggested the caucuses of the political parties pay for this travel instead.

That will be an issue discussed by the Senate and Assembly money committees during the session.

Sen. Kelvin Atkinson, D-Las Vegas, incoming president of the Council of State Governments, said that organization pays for his travel expenses. But he said the state pays dues to a lot of regional and national organizations. He said that should be examined at the 2015 session.