June 10, 2005

June 10, 2005:

Now that the 73rd session is over, the following is a recap of some of the important measures that were passed:

Taxes: As many of you will recall, I campaigned on the need for property tax relief that went further than the 6% that was originally proposed. My goal was to have increases in property tax tied to an objective indicator, like the COLA. Ultimately, through the efforts of several legislators, property taxes were capped at 3% for owner-occupied homes (the COLA the year was 2.7%). This cap protected homeowners who otherwise would have experienced upwards of 40-50% increases. Throughout the negotiations, those of us who demanded lower caps helped to shape the compromise that resulted in the current plan.

While many in Carson City were concerned with how to spend the surplus, the Senate looked for ways to prevent the surplus from re-accumulating! This resulted in changes to the burdensome tax package of 2003. Specifically, the bank branch tax was eliminated on a company's first branch in each county. Additionally, the Senate Republicans led the way to reduce the modified business tax, rolling back the percentage from 0.65 to 0.63. Changes to the Live Entertainment Tax should decrease the price you pay to attend certain events and decreases the burden on business owners.

Education: This session saw many measures that increased school district accountability and strengthened school choice (home school and charter schools).

Healthcare: Affordable prescription medicines may soon be available from Canada. AB 195 was passed by the Assembly and Senate and is awaiting the Governor's signature. I was pleased to offer an amendment in the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee that resulted in the bill's passage through the Senate.

In the area of worker's compensation, bills that increased benefit penalties, permit direct reimbursement of injured workers by compensation carriers, and increased staffing specifically for worker's comp issues in the Office of Consumer Health Assistance.

Other healthcare measures include mandatory reporting of hospital acquired infections and complications arising from office-based surgeries, and a study to be conducted by the interim Healthcare Committee on hospital costs.

Public Safety: The legislature closed an existing loophole for drunk drivers previously convicted of a felony DUI but who, after a certain period of time, would have repeat DUI offenses charged as a misdemeanor. AB 421 provides that once convicted of a felony DUI, all subsequent DUI's will be treated as felony.

The legislature made a small step in the right direction by passing a graduated drivers' license law. Research has consistently shown that the two most common causes of teen accidents are night time driving and driving with other teens. The new law will require documentation of night time driving experience and restrict newly licensed teens from transporting friends in the first three months after receiving a license.

Other important measures include increasing the Homestead Exemption to $350,000, strengthening the open meeting laws, and putting a greater burden on local governments that wish to seize private property through eminent domain.

Please feel free to contact me if you need more information about these, or any other, measures.

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