Nevada Legislature approaches final hours of session

By Yvonne Gonzalez

Monday, June 5, 2017 | 3:32 a.m.

Nevada lawmakers are on the last day of a session that became focused on disagreements over education savings accounts, capital improvements and a proposed marijuana tax.

The education funding debate had lawmakers working to resolve budget uncertainty in the final days of the 2017 session. The Senate voted late Sunday to pass an expansion to Opportunity Scholarships and move forward with the capital improvements budget and the proposed 10 percent pot tax.

Senate Republicans temporarily blocked the capital improvements budget and proposed pot tax, which needed two-thirds approval, in response to ESAs failing to receive funding.

Assemblyman Paul Anderson, R-Las Vegas, said early Monday after the Senate and Assembly adjourned that the ESA fight would continue into further sessions.

“If you look at the growth and the expansion of school choice in Nevada, it’s a path that Nevadans want,” he said.

Nevada Senate Majority Leader Aaron D. Ford, D-Las Vegas, said in a statement after the Senate voted that those three pieces of legislation were the result of bipartisan work.

“With strong consumer protections in place, our recreational marijuana industry is poised to become a critically important source of revenue for Nevada,” Ford said.

Most of the expected revenue from the pot tax was originally intended to go straight to the budget for public schools. The tax impacted by the ESA meltdown was amended Sunday night to send the money into the rainy day fund.

Sen. Julia Ratti, D-Sparks, called it a rational tax system for marijuana that creates a difference in pricing between recreational and medical marijuana.

“That is really important to us making sure that we maintain a vibrant medical marijuana industry,” she said.

The Senate voted 15-6 to pass the pot tax onto the Assembly.

Democrats and Republicans introduced Senate Bill 555 on Sunday to boost the Opportunity Scholarship program. Ford presented the bill and said it expands the program by $20 million.

“Additional funding for the Opportunity Scholarship program will expand educational opportunities for lower and middle-income families,” Ford said in his statement.

The bill passed the Senate unanimously. Sen. Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, spoke in favor of the expansion.

“Investing in education and strengthening support for families to make the best choice for their children’s education is critical,” she said.

Senate Bill 546 sets aside money for projects such as the construction of a new engineering building at the University of Nevada, Reno. The bill passed on a 15-6 vote with the help of Republicans Gansert, Becky Harris of Las Vegas and Ben Kieckhefer of Reno.

Lawmakers have until the end of the legislative day to send bills to the governor.