Gibbons promises latitude on agenda

LAS VEGAS - In the hectic scramble before the 25th Special Session of the Nevada state legislature convenes next week, Gov. Jim Gibbons' office is giving legislators a green light to come up with their own proposals to fix the state's budget shortfall.

"Anything that's a viable option, [legislators] will be able to consider," said Gibbons press secretary Ben Kieckhefer Wednesday. "If there's something that we weren't able to encapsulate for some reason in our proclamation or in the agenda we set forth, we'd be willing to amend it so it could be considered."

Control of the agenda is one of the strongest tools Gibbons holds to either push his own plan to fix the shortfall or support efforts by Republican allies. By sticking to his pledge that "no options are off the table," Gibbons could be inviting a drawn-out, acrimonious special session.

Since the governor's announcement of the session Friday, two different plans to address the budget shortfall have been publicly floated.

The first, by Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio (R-Reno), to defer cost-of-living allowance increases for state and university employees and school teachers, appears unlikely to gain approval in the Democrat-dominated state assembly.

Another, proposed in the media by MGM Mirage Chief Executive Terri Lanni to double the state's payroll tax and raise room taxes, would first need legislative sponsorship, then a two-thirds vote in both houses to pass.

Kieckhefer hinted that was unlikely.

"I don't know which legislator's going to sponsor a tax increase at this point when business are laying people off or closing their doors or struggling to make ends meet," said Kieckhefer.

Even with legislative sponsorship of such a proposal, however, Kieckhefer stressed that "it doesn't necessarily mean [Gibbons] would sign any option, but he's willing to discuss it."

Meanwhile, state lawmakers are meeting to discuss their own proposals to address the budget shortfall. Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley (D-Las Vegas) will meet with the Democratic caucus Wednesday afternoon and will likely come to the special session with a plan prepared.

Additionally, state Sen. Bob Beers (R-Las Vegas) has discussed another proposal that he says has found consensus with other Republican legislators and that he'd like to show to Democrats.

Still, while a "Raggio plan" and a "Lanni plan" have now been made public to some degree, and with a "Buckley plan" or "Beers plan" potentially coming, the element still missing is the "Gibbons plan."

"I couldn't really say at this point exactly what we're going to lay out," said Kieckhefer. "When we issue the proclamation, I think the governor will lay out a slate of options that will cover the total shortfall amount."