Thursday, Dec. 28, 2000 | 10:15 a.m.
Nevada's record growth - nearly 800,000 new residents in the past 10 years - is translating into more power in Washington, D.C.
Nevada recorded the largest rate of population gain nationwide - 66.3 percent since 1990 - meaning it will pick up one seat in Congress, initial Census Bureau results released Thursday show.
Nevada's population is 1,998,257, compared with 1,201,833 in 1990, according to the Census Bureau's preliminary count of the 2000 population.
Most congressional districts have from 600,000 to 700,000 residents.
"Historically, we've always been gaining population," said Jeff Hardcastle, state demographer. "We've been one of the fastest growing states decade to decade after 1930. We've been doubling or close to it every year."
That growth, which is concentrated in southern Nevada, means "it's vitally important that we pick up another seat," said Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who along with Rep Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., would be joined by another representative in Congress in 2003.
Nevada's delegation to Washington, D.C., which includes Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and newly elected John Ensign, R-Nev., wants to make sure it is not overshadowed by larger states on such crucial issues as where to store the nation's nuclear waste and a proposed ban on college betting.
It's a given the new seat will represent at least a portion of Clark County, the state's most populous area with an estimated 70 percent of the population. But where the final district lines will be drawn is anybody's guess.
Gibbons, who represents mainly rural areas, would like to see the state's three congressional districts share urban and rural areas.
"He would like rural Nevada to have an additional voice under the reapportionment plan," said Gibbons' chief of staff Mike Dayton. "In order to do that, part of Clark County would have to be in each congressional district."
But Berkley, who represents urban Las Vegas and the nation's largest congressional district with more than 1 million residents, thinks that combination would be disastrous.
"To divide Clark County into three separate congressional districts, which would include some of the most rural parts of state, would be a profound mistake," she said. "The rural areas would receive almost no representation and the urban areas would be divided so you couldn't give full attention to the inner city problems."
Another proposal, which Berkley supports, would create a "suburban district" for the state's new seat. Her 1st District seat would become a doughnut hole, while the "suburban" seat would ring Las Vegas and possibly encompass Boulder City, Henderson, and master-planned communities like the Lakes, Desert Shores and Summerlin, Berkley said.
"It would be my hope that the Legislature would add the third congressional seat in southern Nevada and essentially take my district and split it in two," Berkley said.
Ultimately, the state Legislature will decide the boundaries.
Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, thinks all proposals are premature until the population numbers are complete in March.
Senate Majority Leader William Raggio, R-Reno, predicts Clark County will be divided into two separate Congressional districts. As for Gibbons' proposal, Raggio said dividing the state into three pie shapes would be gerrymandering.
"You'd have some ugly looking districts and the courts frown on that," he said.
Not much will be done concerning reapportionment until the latter part of the legislative session that begins Feb. 5, Perkins said.
"We don't have the numbers and no concrete proposals," he said, though it makes sense for two of the state's congressional seats to come from southern Nevada.
"I understand Gibbons wanting to give up some of the rural areas," he said. "But if you look at community interests, I think the rural folks fit better in terms of a more northerly seat. We need to see how best everyone can be represented before we get down to the politics."
In addition to congressional redistricting, state lawmakers also will be tasked with drawing new lines for legislative and board of regents districts.
Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson is more concerned about the legislative redistricting than the new congressional seat.
"When our city becomes the second largest city (in Nevada) it's time for this city to have some of it's residents representing it," he said. "The fact is we've grown enough now we should be entitled to have additional representation."
The city adjacent to Las Vegas lost representation in Carson City during the 1990 redistricting.
Raggio has proposed adding two more seats to the state Senate and four in the Assembly to accommodate southern Nevada's growth.
"That's because some of these districts are extremely large and almost unmanageable," he said.
Still, Nevada has one of the lowest ratio of constituents per representatives in the country, Perkins said.
"We need to make sure we're doing the best with what we have first," he said.
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