Finance Committee approves budget cuts without changes (UPDATED)

LAS VEGAS-The legislature's Interim Finance Committee, meeting by videoconference in Las Vegas, Elko, Reno and Carson City approved Gov. Jim Gibbons' budget cuts today in a session lasting about two hours.

The committee met to review $236 million worth of cuts the governor determined in January.  Initially, the cuts were not going to be submitted to the legislature, but state controller Kim Wallin argued that cuts would need to have legislative review and continued writing checks at precut amounts.  The attorney general sided with Wallin and issued an opinion earlier this month that led to the Friday meeting.

"As I understand the situation," said state Sen. Bob Beers (R-Las Vegas) during the meeting, "if we approve these work programs, then these budget reductions will be implemented.  If we don't approve these work programs, then these budget reductions will be implemented."

State Sen. Bob Coffin (D-Las Vegas) had argued since January that the governor's cuts needed to be approved by the legislature and offered a motion to stop cuts of over $10 million to Mental Health and Development Services and over $1.6 million to Parole and Probation.

Coffin received little support for his motion, however, and it failed 5 to 16 in the full committee.  Voting with Coffin were state Sen. Steven Horsford, Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, Assemblywoman Ellen Koivisto and Assemblyman David Parks.

"I understand your concern and I wish there was some way that we could do all the things that we would love to do," said Assemblyman Morse Arberry (D-Las Vegas), the committee's chairman.  "We want to help as many people as we can, but at this particular time, the economy is down the shit chute and we are having a difficult time."

The cuts were later approved without changes, only Coffin and Koivisto voting against.

"In all my twenty-five years, I've never seen anything like this," said Coffin after the meeting.  "Public hearings should have been held [on the cuts]."

Coffin also suspected an ulterior motive for Gibbons to present the cuts to the legislature when he did.

"That's why he puts everything out on Friday afternoons anyways, so he can get less press on bad news and that's why he dumped these documents on us on a Friday afternoon knowing that the deadline came on a Saturday two weeks later," said Coffin.  "Who will read these stories in the Saturday paper?"