Senate approves portion of budget supporting schools

By Cy Ryan

Published Sunday, May 31, 2015 | 5:12 p.m.

Updated Sunday, May 31, 2015 | 5:44 p.m.

A portion of Gov. Brian Sandoval's $7.4 billion budget was approved Sunday by the Senate Finance Committee and later the Senate, sending money to public schools, universities and general government.

The committee passed Senate Bill 514, which allocates an estimated $6 billion to support general government, and SB515 to provide $2.7 billion for basic support of schools and many of the new programs proposed by the governor.

The Legislature is scheduled to end its 120-day session Monday, and both houses are putting the final touches on the budget and other high-priority legislation.

The Senate voted 17-2 later in the afternoon to support the school aid bill and send it to the Assembly.

The state’s basic support per pupil will decrease from $5,676 to $5,670 next fiscal year and then rise to $5,734 in 2017. But there is additional money for special programs such things as those serving at-risk students and English-language learners and for expansion of full-day kindergarten.

Included in the general appropriation act are $5.9 million next year and $12.5 million in 2017 to start a medical school at UNLV. The money is being allocated to the Interim Finance Committee, which wants to see the plans and what progress has been made before releasing the money.

Also included is $500,000 a year to start a Center of Excellence for Gaming Regulations, which Sen. Mark Lipparelli, R-Las Vegas, said would bring together regulators from other states, casino operators and tax officials to discuss and help solve common problems facing the industry.

As an example, he said the IRS is proposing a regulation to lower the amount of money gaming businesses must report, while the industry favors a higher level.

In the appropriations act, there is an increase in the money allocated to acute care hospitals as well as a call for performance pay for employees at the seven campuses of the Nevada System for Higher Education.

Bills before the Assembly Ways and Means Committee include $36 million in cost-of-living increases for state workers, an authorization act that allows the state to accept federal funds and other money to finance the budgets for the next two years, and the state construction program.

Despite final approvals needed on these bills, Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, said the session can be closed by the deadline.

Still to be decided is a tax plan to fund many new programs outlined by the governor.

The Senate committee, and later the full Senate, also approved Assembly Bill 484, which requires car owners to replace their license plates every eight years. The program will begin in 2017, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles expects to turn out 350,000 new plates annually. A department representative told the committee that motorists who have the old blue license plates will be exempt.