THE SEVENTY-SECOND DAY
Carson City (Tuesday), April 15, 2003
Senate called to order at 11:30 a.m.
President Hunt presiding.
Roll called.
All present.
Prayer by the Chaplain, Reverend Stan Pesis.
O God, one day may feel like these northern Nevada springs, when
one never knows quite what to expect. Bless these men and women with insight,
tenacity and courage to face these days and to bring order out of disorder so
that wise decisions will be made for Your people.
Amen.
Pledge of allegiance to the Flag.
Senator Raggio moved that further reading of the Journal be dispensed with, and the President and Secretary be authorized to make the necessary corrections and additions.
Motion carried.
REPORTS
OF COMMITTEES
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Commerce and Labor, to which were referred Senate Bills Nos. 183,
184, 240, 255, 395, 427, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave
to report the same back with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Randolph J. Townsend, Chairman
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Government Affairs, to which were referred Senate Bills Nos. 123,
145, 312, 358, 450, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to
report the same back with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Ann O'Connell, Chairman
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Human Resources and Facilities, to which were referred Assembly
Bills Nos. 111, 201, 306, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave
to report the same back with the recommendation: Do pass.
Also,
your Committee on Human Resources and Facilities, to which was referred Senate
Bill No. 383, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to report
the same back with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Raymond D. Rawson, Chairman
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Judiciary, to which were referred Senate Bills Nos. 38, 66, 90,
97, 303, 316, 339, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to
report the same back with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Mark E. Amodei, Chairman
MESSAGES FROM THE ASSEMBLY
Assembly
Chamber, Carson
City, April 14, 2003
To the
Honorable the Senate:
I
have the honor to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on this day
passed Assembly Bills Nos. 69, 117, 233, 287, 292, 299, 335, 437, 448, 459,
509, 531; Senate Joint Resolution No. 5.
Also, I have the honor to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on this day passed, as amended, Assembly Bills Nos. 32, 52, 79, 92, 100, 103, 126, 138, 143, 146, 151, 160, 163, 217, 226, 294, 319, 397.
Also,
I have the honor to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on this day
adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 28.
MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES
Senator Raggio moved that for this legislative day the Secretary of the Senate dispense with reading the histories of Assembly bills for introduction.
Remarks by Senator Raggio.
Motion carried.
In compliance with a notice given on the previous day, Senator Washington moved that the vote whereby Senate Bill No. 143 was lost be reconsidered.
Motion carried.
INTRODUCTION, FIRST READING AND REFERENCE
Assembly Bill No. 32.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 52.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Human Resources and Facilities.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 69.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 79.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 92.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 100.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 103.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 117.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 126.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 138.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Human Resources and Facilities.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 143.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 146.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 151.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 160.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 163.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 217.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 226.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Transportation.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 233.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 287.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Natural Resources.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 292.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 294.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 299.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Transportation.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 319.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 335.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Transportation.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 397.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 437.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Taxation.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 448.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 459.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Government Affairs.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 509.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Human Resources and Facilities.
Motion carried.
Assembly Bill No. 531.
Senator Rawson moved that the bill be referred to the Committee on Taxation.
Motion carried.
SECOND READING AND AMENDMENT
Senate Bill No. 307.
Bill read second time.
The following amendment was proposed by the Committee on Human Resources and Facilities:
Amendment No. 264.
Amend sec. 5, page 4, line 25, after “establishment.” by inserting: “The conspicuous location described in this subsection may include, without limitation, a women’s restroom that is located within the establishment.”.
Senator Rawson moved the adoption of the amendment.
Remarks by Senator Rawson.
Amendment adopted.
Bill ordered reprinted, engrossed and to third reading.
Senate Bill No. 419.
Bill read second time and ordered to third reading.
Senate Bill No. 484.
Bill read second time and ordered to third reading.
GENERAL FILE AND THIRD READING
Senate Bill No. 71.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 71:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 71 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 163.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 163:
Yeas—20.
Nays—Carlton.
Senate Bill No. 163 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 168.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 168:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 168 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 246.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 246:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 246 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 301.
Bill read third time.
Remarks by Senators Neal, Townsend and Titus.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 301:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 301 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 345.
Bill read third time.
Remarks by Senators Neal, Nolan and Carlton.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 345:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 345 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 392.
Bill read third time.
Conflict of interest declared by Senator Raggio.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 392:
Yeas—10.
Nays—Amodei, Care, Carlton, Coffin, Mathews, Neal,
Schneider, Titus, Washington, Wiener—10.
Not Voting—Raggio.
Senate Bill No. 392 having failed to receive a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it lost.
Senate Bill No. 401.
Bill read third time.
Remarks by Senators Neal and Raggio.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 401:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 401 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 415.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 415:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 415 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 456.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 456:
Yeas—17.
Nays—Care, Coffin, Neal, Titus—4.
Senate Bill No. 456 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 466.
Bill read third time.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 466:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 466 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 482.
Bill read third time.
Remarks by Senators Neal and Nolan.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 482:
Yeas—21.
Nays—None.
Senate Bill No. 482 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senate Bill No. 143.
Bill read third time.
The following amendment was proposed by Senator Titus:
Amendment No. 479.
Amend the bill as a whole by deleting sections 2 through 4 and adding a new section designated sec. 2, following section 1, to read as follows:
“Sec.
2. This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.”.
Amend the title of the bill to read as follows:
“AN ACT relating
to public administrators; authorizing a board of county commissioners to
examine and audit money and property entrusted to the care of the public
administrator; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.”.
Amend the summary of the bill to read as follows:
“SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing public administrators. (BDR 20‑419)”.
Senator Titus moved the adoption of the amendment.
Remarks by Senators Titus, Raggio, McGinness, Mathews, O'Connell, Care, Coffin and Neal.
Senators Titus, Neal and Carlton requested a roll call vote on the adoption of the amendment.
Yeas—9.
Nays—Amodei, Cegavske, Hardy, Nolan, O'Connell, Raggio,
Rawson, Rhoads, Schneider, Shaffer, Tiffany, Townsend—12.
The motion having failed to receive a majority, Madam President declared it lost.
Roll call on Senate Bill No. 143:
Yeas—12.
Nays—Care, Carlton, Coffin, Mathews, McGinness, Neal,
Schneider, Titus, Wiener—9.
Senate Bill No. 143 having received a constitutional majority, Madam President declared it passed, as amended.
Bill ordered transmitted to the Assembly.
Senator Raggio moved that the Senate recess until 5 p.m.
Motion carried.
Senate in recess at 12:31 p.m.
SENATE IN SESSION
At 5:12 p.m.
President Hunt presiding.
Quorum present.
REPORTS
OF COMMITTEES
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Finance, to which was re-referred Senate Bill No. 34, has had the
same under consideration, and begs leave to report the same back with the
recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
William J. Raggio, Chairman
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Human Resources and Facilities, to which were referred Senate
Bills Nos. 386, 390, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to
report the same back with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Raymond D. Rawson, Chairman
Madam
President:
Your
Committee on Judiciary, to which were referred Senate Bills Nos. 50, 218, 298,
has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to report the same back
with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Mark E. Amodei, Chairman
Madam President
Your
Committee on Transportation, to which were referred Assembly Bills Nos. 19, 42,
58, 177, has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to report the
same back with the recommendation: Do pass.
Also,
your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred Senate Bill No. 384,
has had the same under consideration, and begs leave to report the same back
with the recommendation: Amend, and do pass as amended.
Raymond C. Shaffer, Chairman
MOTIONS, RESOLUTIONS AND NOTICES
The Sergeant at Arms announced that Assemblymen McCleary and Andonov were at the bar of the Senate. Assemblyman McCleary invited the Senate to meet in Joint Session with the Assembly to hear Representative Shelley Berkley.
The President announced that if there were no objections, the Senate would recess subject to the call of the Chair.
Senate in recess at 5:13 p.m.
IN JOINT SESSION
At 5:18 p.m.
President Hunt presiding.
The Secretary of the Senate called the Senate roll.
All present except Senator Coffin, who was excused and Senators Townsend and Neal who were absent.
The Chief Clerk of the Assembly called the Assembly roll.
All present except Assemblyman Knecht, who was excused.
Madam President appointed a Committee on Escort consisting of Senator Carlton and Assemblywoman McClain to wait upon the Honorable Representative Shelley Berkley and escort her to the Assembly Chamber.
Representative Shelley Berkley delivered her message as follows:
Message
to the Legislature of Nevada
Seventy-second Session, 2003
Thank you,
Speaker pro Tempore Williams. It is a pleasure for me to be here. I know how
busy you are at this time during the legislative session, and I appreciate you
giving me the opportunity to speak with you for a few minutes. I was
reminiscing with some of the people that I saw as I came into the Chamber, and
while I walked around the halls, today, it occurred to me that I served in the
Nevada State Assembly twenty years ago. It is amazing how quickly time flies.
My son was an infant at the time I was elected. Those of you who were here
remember I was bringing him back and forth, and now he will turn twenty-one in
June, and that makes me much older than I was.
I am going
to attempt to wing this speech. I received many calls from the legislative
staff asking if I could please give them a written speech so they could enter
it into the record. I have become bored with listening to elected officials
read their speeches. Since I find them boring, I can’t imagine anyone of you
would find my words inspirational if I read them so I am going to try to do
this with just the benefit of some head notes.
As busy as
I have been in Washington, D.C., over the last several months, during such an
extraordinarily difficult time, I have tried to keep in touch with everything
that is happening here and the challenges you have in the Nevada State
Legislature. I know they are daunting, and I wanted to congratulate all of you
and pay homage to you for the incredible work that you do with limited staff
and resources. I think you do a great job on behalf of the people that you represent.
I particularly want to acknowledge the Assembly Leadership for having a robust
agenda for the first 45 days. In spite of all the challenges you have, you have
kept this Legislature on track and passed legislation that is important to the
people you represent. This is of paramount importance, and I applaud you. I
want to congratulate Senator Titus on her Red Rock victory yesterday in
committee. I also want to thank Governor Guinn for staying the course and being
extremely courageous in what you are doing. I am honored that you are here.
I wanted to
address a number of issues today. I sit on three committees, the Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee, the Veteran’s Affairs Committee and the
International Relations Committee. I thought I would share what we are doing on
those three committees to give you a better feel of what I do. I also want to
talk about the energy legislation that was just passed as well as the federal
budget and its impact on the State of Nevada, those you represent and all of you.
The
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is my major committee in Congress.
I sit on the Aviation Subcommittee and the Ground Transportation Subcommittee.
Of importance this year, we are doing the reauthorization of T-21, which gives
us the authority to fund our projects for the next five years. If it isn’t in
this year’s budget, it will not be funded for the next five years. Being in a
growth state like Nevada it is very important that we get these projects
through, and we should get them through this year. Each of us, in our own
congressional district, has a number of projects for which we are requesting
funding. I am concentrating on CD-1. Congressman Porter, who is also on the
Transportation Committee, has a number of projects, many of which interlock
with mine. These projects have been divided up the best way we can to serve the
people we represent. Of course, Congressman Gibbons has his own set of requests
that he is working on as well.
The number
one priority for NDOT is the Clark County beltway system-to-system
interchanges, which is I-215. We have four projects within the I-215 corridor.
The first project is the expansion of the airport connector. If any of you have
tried to get to McCarran Airport from I-215, you know how difficult it is with
increasing congestion on almost a daily basis. This is going to be corrected.
The next project is to create a Summerland interchange. If any of you live in
Summerland and are using I-215, you know the amount of traffic I-215 and
Summerland are getting. We are also widening I-15 north of U.S. 95 to the
speedway and widening U.S. 95 north of Craig Road to the beltway. All of these
projects are important to the future growth and development of the Las Vegas
Valley.
The second
project for which we are requesting funds is the Las Vegas multi-modal transit
system consisting of three components. I am committed, as is the Regional
Transportation Commission, to southern Nevada. We have a continuing commitment
to a fully integrated transit system throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The first
component is the Las Vegas resort corridor fixed-guideway airport extension. In
plain English, that means the new monorail system will extend from where it is
currently beginning to the airport. This is a big project, and it is important
that we get the funding this year. As part of this intermodal system, we are
working on a CAT-Rail. The CAT-Rail is a state of the art bus system that will
bring people from the outlying areas and the Henderson area to the airport so
that they can utilize the intermodal system.
The third
component is the central city intermodal-transportation terminal. This will be
the major transit center for the metropolitan area in southern Nevada. It
includes several facilities for various transportation modes: the CAT system,
the MAX Bus Rapid Transit system and the monorail, all converging in the same
place. You can start in Henderson and end up in downtown Las Vegas with very
few transit stops. It is big; it is important; it is the wave of the future, and
we are going for all the dollars we can in order to receive funding.
The third
project I am requesting is money for the Nevada-California mag-lev. This is an
important project for the future of the State of Nevada. If there is another
terrorist attack on United States soil and the State of Nevada experiences the
same economic downturn because people are not coming to Nevada, we are going to
be in a world of hurt economically. Right now, 46 percent of the people that
come to southern Nevada to enjoy our wholesome family entertainment come
through McCarran Airport. If people stop flying, then our 127,000 hotel rooms
will not be filled. The two and one half employees that are hired for each
hotel room will have trouble getting work. We cannot afford, again, what
happened on 9/11, losing 20,000 jobs almost overnight. We are hoping the
mag-lev train system will transport people from the southern-California area,
our major market in southern Nevada, and bring them to the Las Vegas Valley
without having to fly. I had a meeting in Las Vegas yesterday with the chairman
of the Transportation Committee, Don Young, and he has assured us this project
is front and center and will, probably, be funded this year. There are several
other projects throughout the State of Nevada which I will allow my colleagues
to discuss.
The second
committee that I sit on is the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I have the fastest
growing veterans population in the United States in southern Nevada. I have
200,000 veterans. Many of them went through the Vietnam War, the Korean War or
World War II. These veterans are not getting any younger, and since we have the
fastest growing senior population in southern Nevada, it converges. Many of the
veterans depend upon the VA system in order to have their health-care needs
met. In 1997, before I was elected to the United States Congress, I happened to
be at the ribbon cutting for the Addeliar D. Guy III,
VA Clinic, on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Five years after that ribbon
cutting, in a building that should have lasted many decades, the building has
now been condemned as uninhabitable for humans. Consequently, the VA is in the
process of closing that building. Until we get a new building to service our
veterans, they will receive their health care needs at eight different
locations in southern Nevada. It is going to be extremely difficult for our
older veterans to be standing in the heat or the cold and wait for a bus to
pick them up and take them from one location to another to have their health‑care
needs met. It is important that we get a replacement VA health-care clinic as
soon as possible. I have assurance from the VA Secretary, who has visited Las
Vegas on numerous occasions, that within three years we will have a
state-of-the-art, 250,000 square foot VA clinic to service our veterans in
southern Nevada. We had better have it because the leases we have on the eight
locations are three-year leases. We don’t want to extend them for another three
years. It is important that we get this accomplished. We are looking for land
in southern Nevada. The RFP has been issued, and we are anxious that this is
awarded soon, and we get the VA clinic. Two hundred thousand veterans in
southern Nevada are depending on us to do this, and I have promised that we
will in fact get it done.
In
addition, the veterans in southern Nevada need to have a full service hospital
of their own. Certainly with 200,000 veterans in the Las Vegas Valley, I think
we have reached a critical mass so that they don’t have to share the facilities
at Nellis Air Force Base. Approximately, 1,500 of our veterans have to go out
of state every year in order to get their acute health-care needs met. We are
taking older Americans, who do not have much money and have very little family,
away from their loved ones at a time when they need their support and sending
them several hundred miles away in order to get health care. That is
unacceptable to me, and I am sure it is unacceptable to everyone in this room.
We will work on getting the full service VA hospital as soon as we get the
health-care clinic completed. When we are done with that, we are going to go
after a long-term care facility because our veterans don’t have a long-term
health-care facility in the Las Vegas area funded by the federal government,
which we need. These are the issues we are working on in the Veteran Affairs
Committee.
My
third committee is the International Relations Committee. I sit on the Middle
East/South Asian Subcommittee. My area of jurisdiction is Afghanistan,
Pakistan, India, Iran, Iraq and the entire Middle East. When I was appointed to
this committee, I did not anticipate that this would be where all the action is
in the United State House of Representatives. It has been an extraordinary
experience to have a bird’s eye view on what is going on globally and its
impact on the United States of America.
I
want to touch lightly on Iraq and the Middle East. I supported the President’s
plan to go into Iraq by first going to the United Nations and getting the
support, which we initially did in a 15‑0 vote by the security
counsel. I also voted for legislation that we authorize the President to go in
unilaterally if necessary. He, in fact, did, and I am grateful that after a
month of hostilities things are winding down successfully. I think the easy
part is over. The challenge now is in winning the peace. We are going to have
our hands full, and it is going to be important. I believe bringing democracy,
liberty and freedom to the Iraqi people will change the paradigm in the Middle
East. It is important that this is done. I do not think there can be peace in
the world and an end to terrorism, which is a relatively new phenomenon for
those of us who live in the United States, if we do not solve the Middle East
crisis, a situation which is not getting any better. I am supporting the
President in his road map for Middle East peace, and I urge you to watch what
happens now that things are winding down in Iraq. I can assure you that the
next area the President is going to concentrate on is bringing peace to the
Middle East. I believe that the Israelis are entitled to a peaceful existence
within secure borders. They are entitled to be recognized for their right to
exist by their Arab neighbors and free from random terrorist attacks. I believe
the Palestinian people are entitled to a homeland of their own.
For those
in our country who are concerned that we went over the United Nations by going
into Iraq, let me suggest this to you. There will be a role for the United
Nations to play, but the United States could not abdicate our national security
interest to any one, any country, any entity. In the end, it is the United
States, the United States government and all of us who are public servants that
owe our constituents protection and the right to be free, have liberty and
freedom, and I believe that we did the right thing. When you think of the
United Nations, please keep in mind that before we relinquish any
responsibility to the United Nations, Syria, a rogue country, is a member of
the security counsel, although a non-voting member. Libya is chairman of the
Human Rights Committee and Iraq is chairman of the Disarmament Committee,
something they know something about now.
I want to
talk to you briefly about this Nation’s energy policy. I recently voted against
the administration’s energy bill. In my opinion it does nothing to promote a
long-term, sustainable, affordable policy in this Nation. I agree with the
President that we have to get away from our dependence and reliance on foreign
oil sources, for so many reasons, including security reasons and foreign
interest reasons. It is a mistake to be relying our energy needs on dictators
and potentates that we ordinarily would not be spending any time with and would
be enemies of ours. We make a lot of compromises in order to get that oil, and
we should not. Where I part company with the administration is on the new
reliance on nuclear power in order to sustain this Nation’s energy needs. In
the legislation that I voted against, there is a $1-billion subsidy to the
nuclear industry. The problem with that, of course for all of us in Nevada, is
this Nation has never figured out what it is going to do with its nuclear
waste. If we subsidize the nuclear industry to the tune of $1 billion in order
to build new power plants, the end result of nuclear energy is nuclear waste.
We don’t know what to do with it, and this Nation’s solution is to put it in a
hole in the Nevada desert. I will reiterate to you; we don’t want it; we don’t
need it, and this is 20th-Century technology in a 21st-Century world.
Certainly, there is a better way of providing for our energy needs and not
spending it in a hole in the Nevada desert.
Another
problem with this legislation is the so-called “Price-Anderson Amendment.” This
amendment caps the industries liability for any nuclear accident. The federal
government is indemnifying the nuclear industry with taxpayers’ money. If there
is a catastrophic accident in any of the nuclear power plants, it is the
American taxpayers that will be footing the bill and not the nuclear industry
for whatever negligence caused the problem. That is wrong. Excuse the cost of
nuclear power, and excuse it to the low side. If we had to account for
insurance needs and the indemnification of the nuclear industry, I can
guarantee that nuclear power would be a lot more expensive than they say it is.
I think this really skews the numbers dramatically. It is easy to criticize but
what I think is important? We should be investing in renewable energy sources.
If the federal government wants Nevada to be the epicenter of energy needs in
this county, then let us. Let us harness the sun, wind, geothermal energy and
hydrogen cells. We can do it if we invest the dollars in renewable energy
sources. Rather than put $308 billion into Yucca Mountain, the latest estimate
of what it is going to cost, let us take a portion of that and subsidize the
fledgling solar energy companies, wind power companies and hydrogen cell
companies. Let’s do something productive with that money and make this Nation
energy self-sufficient and leave a legacy to our children, our children’s
children and Americans yet unborn so that we can take care of their energy
needs for generations to come. I must give you all credit. I know Nevada has
one of the most ambitious renewable portfolios in the entire Nation, and I am
proud to say I stole your idea and introduced it in the House of
Representatives. The United States of America would be wise to follow Nevada’s
lead when it comes to renewable energy.
Let me talk
briefly about the federal budget. This is the final issue that I wish to
discuss. The budget that was passed last week in Congress and its potential
fiscal impact on Nevada are things you have to hear about and you need to know
because it is going to impact you, the State and what ever services we can
provide for our constituents. It is important for you to know I voted for the
$1.3-trillion tax in 2001. I was one of twenty-seven Democrats that crossed
party lines in order to vote for this legislation. I voted for the elimination
of the marriage-penalty tax. I voted for the elimination of the so-called death
tax. I am not adverse to cutting taxes. I thought they were appropriate taxes
to cut. I also did it in an atmosphere where we had a $5.6 trillion surplus
in this country; there was no war against terrorism, no war in Iraq, no such
thing as homeland security needs. This time, Congress passed a budget
containing tax cuts of over $1.2 trillion, none of which is designed to
stimulate the economy. The cuts came at a time when we are running a
$400-billion deficit, just this year alone, with no hope of turning that around
for, at least, another decade. At a time when forty-two states, including the
State of Nevada, are in fiscal crisis; at a time when we have no idea how long
we will be in Iraq or how much it will cost. We don’t know how long the war on
terrorism will be, where it will take us or what the ultimate cost of the war
will be. This is a time when the baby boomers are thinking about retiring and expecting
their Social Security checks. This is also a time when we have been under great
pressure to finally deliver on a prescription medication benefit that we have
been promising the United States of America for the last eight years. To fund
the tax cuts, the administration proposes the following cuts in the federal
budget which will impact Nevada. A 7.8 percent cut in the federal highway fund.
A 7.8 percent cut does not sound like a lot, but Nevada’s share totals $16
million which equates to 760 construction jobs that will be lost if we cut the
federal highway dollars by 7.8 percent. At a time when our economy is soft, we
cannot afford to lose one job, let alone 760 jobs. If you want to talk about
stimulating the economy, laying people off is not the way. A $250-billion cut
to Medicaid and Medicare over the next 10 years translates to a
$1.2-billion cut to the State of Nevada. That would have devastating
consequences on our state budget, and I think, you in this room know far better
than I the cost of your Medicaid programs. Talk to the doctors about cutting
Medicare. Many doctors are calling my office and telling me they are not going
to treat senior citizens because they are not able to afford to any more. There
is a limit to waste, fraud and abuse, and if you talk to our doctors, they will
tell you they are there now.
The
proposed education budget is flat. That has devastating consequences for growth
states like Nevada. The 2004 education budget eliminates 47 education programs.
The program that leapt to my eyes when I reviewed it was the dropout-prevention
program. It has been zeroed out. Nevada has one of the highest dropout rates in
the United States. We cannot afford to lose a penny of dropout-prevention
money. Quite the contrary, we need far more. The No Child Left Behind program
was $9 billion below the amount authorized for 2004. What this should be called
is “Leave Every Child Behind.” It doesn’t matter if the programs are passed if
there is no money to fund them. After school programs had a 41-percent cut. Ask
Sheriff Young what this will do to the crime rate in southern Nevada. He will
tell you, as he told me, that if we eliminate the after school programs,
juvenile crime between 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. is going to skyrocket. That is
obvious for societal reasons in southern Nevada, and I suspect throughout the
State of Nevada. We cannot afford to do without these programs. They make our
Nation better, make our Nation stronger, make our State better and make the
people we represent better citizens and a part of the American dream. That is
our responsibility to the people we represent.
I love my job. It is an honor to serve in the United States House
of Representatives and represent your hometown. When we first moved to Las
Vegas, when I was eleven years old, the first thing we did when we drove into
town was to drive down the Las Vegas strip. I remember thinking to myself, this
is the most incredible street that I have ever seen. I drive down that street
40 years later, and I have the same reaction. I know how blessed I am that my
family decided to make Nevada its home 40 years ago. I am grateful to all of
you and to the people of southern Nevada for giving me an opportunity to
represent them in our Nation’s capitol. I also want to take this opportunity to
tell all of you how much I admire the work that you do during extraordinarily
difficult times. We, in public service, have a responsibility to the people we
represent. It is easy to fill that responsibility when things are good, the
economy is strong, our Nation is at peace and everybody feels good. It is a
little more challenging when things aren’t going as well. I have great faith in
this Nation, the people I represent and all of the people of the great State of
Nevada. When I stand up on the floor of the House and start speaking about the
great State of Nevada, I don’t say it as a throw-away line. It is a great
state, a wonderful state, and you do a remarkable job. I want to thank you on
behalf of the people I represent to the people you represent. Thank you and God
bless.
Senator Titus moved that the Senate and Assembly in Joint Session extend a vote of thanks to Representative Berkley for her timely, able and constructive message.
Motion carried.
The Committee on Escort escorted Representative Berkley to the bar of the Assembly.
Senator Schneider moved that the Joint Session be dissolved.
Motion carried.
Joint Session dissolved at 5:52 p.m.
SENATE IN SESSION
At 5:56 p.m.
President Hunt presiding.
Quorum present.
GUESTS
EXTENDED PRIVILEGE OF SENATE FLOOR
On request of Senator Amodei, the privilege of the floor of the Senate Chamber for this day was extended to the following students and faculty from the Carson High School: Karissa Block, Tania Figueroa, Molly Fronapfel, Murphy Gardner, Margaret Gebhardt, Mitchell Grover, Tiffany Halen, Kendra Jones, Ashley Kottke, Lisamarie Lindberg, Jack Maloney, Constance McAlman, Keley Perry, Travis Trethan, Kameron-Chelsea Vindtola, Samantha Wang, Linsey Wegener, Pia Wendell, Aaron Morritsen, Meaghan Antle, John Berger, Jessica Goddard, Erin Holderman, Stephanie Mercier, Richard Panozzo, Todd Parker, Elizabeth Ranki, Quinn Reid, Annamarie Theuret, Dean Wildman, Logan Young, Joy-el Ellington, Robert Reynolds, Kayla Olson, Christel William, Charles Ferreira, Sarah Hutchinson, Michelle Summers, Jim Gustafson, Janae Baldwin, Teneya Cramer, Chrystal Martens, Ben Auer, Christina Hanson; faculty: Sarah Adler and Patt Quinn-Davis.
On request of Senator Care, the privilege of the floor of the Senate Chamber for this day was extended to Jenny Care.
On request of Senator Carlton, the privilege of the floor of the Senate Chamber for this day was extended to Maren Foley.
On request of Senator Mathews, the privilege of the floor of the Senate Chamber for this day was extended to the following residents and staff from the Promenade on the River: Jane Levitt, Alice Chameides, Millie Potter, Virginia Kimball, Lucille Franchini, Helen Jackson, Amelia Klink, Edna Pearl; staff: Nancy Shapiro and Bonnie Golde.
On request of Senator Raggio, the privilege of the floor of the Senate Chamber for this day was extended to Andy Spaulding, Ph.D.
Senator Raggio moved that the Senate adjourn until Wednesday, April 16, 2003, at 10:30 a.m.
Motion carried.
Senate adjourned at 5:57 p.m.
Approved: Lorraine T. Hunt
President
of the Senate
Attest: Claire J. Clift
Secretary of the Senate