BUDGET CRISIS: Buckley slams Gibbons in follow-up speech

LAS VEGAS - In a bitingly critical response to his televised address Thursday, Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley (D-Las Vegas) portrayed Gov. Jim Gibbons as indecisive and uncooperative and suggested that any solution to the state's budget crisis will be reached by the legislature without the governor's help.

Buckley began her speech by praising Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio (R-Reno) whom she credited for working with her on a plan to meet a budget shortfall she estimated at more than $250 million.

"[Raggio] is an honest and dedicated public servant," said Buckley. "I want to publicly thank him for working in a bipartisan manner to reach a solution to our short-term problem."

"I cannot say the same for our governor," she added.

"[Gibbons] has rarely consulted the legislature and after categorically stating he would not call us in special session reversed himself twenty-four hours later," said Buckley.  "He indicated he had no plan to meet the shortfall and again reversed himself, saying he would have a 21-point plan.  Again, these plans were never shared with the legislators who are elected to represent the people of this state."

Buckley, who is expected to challenge Gibbons for the governorship in 2010, did not discuss plans to address the current shortfall, except to caution against shutting the Nevada State Prison. 

Instead, Buckley spent most of her speech hyping the 2009 legislative session and implicitly pleading to improve state services.

Buckley described decisions to cut state services as "gut-wrenching" and repeated criticisms that Nevada ranks near the bottom of the country in "education, mental health, healthcare, work training programs and other services."

"Do we want to close down mental health clinics or cut money to teachers?" Buckley asked.  "Do we want to sell off the state's assets to pay for scholarships and senior drug programs? It is sad and pathetic to have to even consider these kinds of cuts."

Buckley said she would work to make the 2009 legislative session "the most important in Nevada's history" dedicated to substantial changes in state revenue collection and spending.

"It is time to admit that a 1960's state financial structure no longer works," said Buckley.  "It is time to step into the 21st century."