Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2001 | 10:02 a.m.
Nevadans could be forgiven if they thought for a moment on Monday that Gov. Kenny Guinn had switched parties and was now a Democrat. After all, the Republican governor's State of the State address to the Legislature was loaded with new and expanded social programs, including $5 million to help low-income families pay high power bills and a $14.6 million expansion of a health insurance program for children. The governor even threw in pay hikes for public employees, a constituency that is not usually considered part of the Republican Party's base.
But even Guinn had his limits. The governor, citing the prospect of tough economic times ahead, said he would not propose new taxes. The governor previously said he would oppose a teachers' union initiative to earmark new taxes for education spending, so his frowning on new taxes was expected. For that matter, while Guinn had a slew of new spending initiatives, the price tag for each was fairly restrained. And the 2001 proposals did not rival in excitement Guinn's blockbuster announcement from 1999, his Millennium Scholarship program.
Guinn's spending on social programs may lead to some spirited debates during the 2001 Legislature. But the three issues that took center stage Monday -- and likely will occupy much of the spotlight in the coming months inside and outside the halls of the Legislature -- were electric deregulation, education and Yucca Mountain:
Finally, as has has been the case with previous administrations, it's certain that there will be surprises tucked inside Guinn's budgets that will spark controversy. Still, the outline offered by Guinn on Monday was a nice start to what should be a robust debate over the top issues facing Nevada.
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