Nevada Legislature 2015 … by the numbers
By the time the Nevada Legislature wraps up in June (or, you know, late August), you’ll have heard plenty of numbers. Economic Forum numbers. Budget numbers. Bill numbers. Vote-count tally numbers. Alternative-universe numbers.
As we kick off the countdown to The First Day on Feb. 2, here’s a look at a few interesting numbers you’ll want to keep in mind as the session unfolds.
42: Number of members of the Nevada Assembly.
28: Two-thirds of 42, the number of votes that’s constitutionally required to raise any tax, fee or other increase in public revenue.
25: Number of Republicans in the Nevada Assembly.
12: Number of Republicans in the Nevada Assembly who Assemblywoman Michele Fiore, R-Las Vegas, says will definitely vote against Gov. Brian Sandoval’s recommended increase in the state business license fee to raise money for education.
3: Number of Republicans still needed (assuming Fiore is right, that is) to block a tax plan.
21: Number of state senators.
14: Number of state senators needed to pass a tax-plan under the aforementioned two-thirds rule.
3: Number of state senators who appear to be ready to vote down any tax increase.
7: Number of justices of the state Supreme Court (who may be called upon to intervene if the Legislature becomes gridlocked by partisan politics).
2003: Year in which a tax plan was blocked by a Republican minority and an attorney general named Brian Sandoval sued at the direction of the governor to force the Legislature to pass a balanced budget.
3: Number of active recall committees that have filed papers with the secretary of state’s office. As of this writing, conservative activist Chuck Muth is targeting Assembly Speaker John Hambrick (apparently for saying he’d violate his no-tax pledge in order to get more money for education) along with Assemblymen Chris Edwards, R-Las Vegas, and Stephen Silberkraus, R-Henderson.
0: Votes cast in the 2015 session thus far by Hambrick, Edwards and Silberkraus.
10: Number of days after the session starts that recall organizers can start collecting signatures.
40: Days in the 2015 session in which lawmakers have to consider voter initiative petitions to extend gun background checks to private-party gun sales and to legalize recreational marijuana. (If lawmakers ignore the initiatives, or vote to reject them, they will appear on the November 2016 ballot.)
3: Number of ex-lawmakers — thus far! — who will be returning to Carson City as lobbyists. (Former Assembly Speaker John Oceguera will be representing the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, ex-Assemblyman Richard “Skip” Daly will be appearing for the Laborers International Union of North America, Local 169, and ex-Assemblyman Tom Grady will represent the city of Fallon).
386: Number of people who have registered to lobby the 2015 Legislature thus far.
6.1: Number of lobbyists per lawmaker thus far.
93: Number of pre-filed bills in both the Assembly and state Senate.
1,000+: Number of bills that will eventually be filed total before the 2015 session is over.
952: Number of “bill draft requests” filed with the Legislative Counsel Bureau (these requests may or may not become actual bills introduced during the legislative session).
2: Number of days the average journalist can go without seeking the comfort of strong drink in Carson City.
0: Number of days the average journalist can go without caffeine in Carson City.
0: Number of days served in the majority by Speaker Hambrick, Majority Leader Paul Anderson, state Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson and Assistant Majority Leader Ben Kieckhefer.
0: Number of days served in the minority by Assembly Minority Leader Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford.
3: Brand-new freshman state senators.
17: Brand-new freshman Assembly members.
120: The number of days to which the state constitution limits the Nevada Legislature’s biennial sessions.
12: The hour at which the Legislature must adjourn on the 120th day, after which all actions taken become void.
5: Number of sessions that required an additional special session (think of it as overtime) to complete the Legislature’s work since the 120-day limit was imposed by voters in 1998. There have been eight regular sessions since then, which mean more end in a special session (sometimes lasting only a few hours) than end on time with all work accomplished.
80 percent: The odds of a special session being called following the 2015 regular session.
100 percent: Occupancy of the bar at Adele’s if a special session (or two or three) is needed.
