Lawmakers carve up some lean pork

CARSON CITY - The legislative pork's a little lean this year, but there's the usual end-of-session pushing and shoving for a slice of some $10 million for special projects.

The money, left over after main budget talks were done, was carved up by Assembly and Senate money panels as the session neared adjournment.

By late Sunday, all the deals still weren't done. But tentative lists had emerged from closed-door meetings as the lawmakers wrapped up business prior to a voter-mandated adjournment by Monday.

Under an agreement made by Senate and Assembly leadership, each house prepared separate lists for the special "pork" projects. That's out of an overall $14.5 billion biennial budget.

Leaders wouldn't label any of the items "pork," insisting instead that they're solid requests that deserve support of the Legislature.

One pending project, sought by Sen. Bernice Mathews, D-Sparks, sets aside $748,000 for library books and technology fund that could be tapped by school districts.

Another pending project, pushed by Assemblyman Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, would allocate $1.4 million to hold an early primary with several other Western states that supporters say would give Nevada more national political clout.

Another bill, sought by Sen. Lawrence Jacobsen, R-Minden, appropriates $2.8 million for improvements at China Spring Youth Camp in his home Douglas County.

Also on the list was a $100,000 appropriation to support Inner City Games in Las Vegas.

The tentative list also included $50,000 sought by Assemblywoman Marcia de Braga, D-Fallon, to maintain a veterans field service office in Churchill County.

The Assembly also wants $5 million worth of state bonds if developers can raise the $15 million needed to rebuild the old V&T railroad between Carson City and Gold Hill.

The Assembly also wants $200,000 to fund a Sparks history museum.

The pork spending might have been higher. But it was reduced in order to fund a 2 percent across-the-board pay hike for state employees in fiscal 2000-2001. The pay hike plan, which emerged at the last minute, is expected to cost $8.6 million.

archive