Meet the three Republican legislators most likely to cross party lines
In today’s edition:
- Which Republicans are most likely to buck their party?
- It may not be the session for universal pre-K
- Reducing private gaming salon entry requirements
From the Capital Bureau Chief:
Happy Economic Forum Day to those who celebrate!
This edition of Behind the Bar is packed, so I’ll keep it brief.
As my colleague Eric Neugeboren has reported, we’re not expecting positive news from today’s updated revenue forecast, and there are projected revenue losses of $55 million to $317 million in the upcoming budget cycle.
Expect significant cuts and trouble for the more than 300 bills set to be reviewed in budget committees.
We’ll also be watching to see if the state taps into its just under $1.3 billion rainy-day fund.
As always, please send us your questions, thoughts and suggestions. You can reach me at [email protected].
Which Republicans have been most likely to buck their party?
With Democrats one seat shy of a two-thirds majority in both chambers, they need the support of at least one Republican member in each house to advance must-pass budget bills.
After more than 3 months and more than 400 floor votes, we now have a better sense of who those Republicans might be.
- Sens. Lori Rogich (R-Las Vegas) and John Steinbeck (R-Las Vegas) and Assm. Gregory Koenig (R-Fallon) were much more likely to vote differently than a majority of their party, according to an Indy analysis of all votes cast during the legislative session so far.
- There were no Democrats who stood out in breaking with their caucus, with four assemblymembers voting against the party majority four times, and no senators doing so more than twice.
- Rogich and Steinbeck, freshman members who represent some of the more purple Senate districts, voted for bills that a majority of other Republican senators opposed 18 and 17 times, respectively, much more than any other senator.
- In an interview, Steinbeck told The Indy that “party is the last thing that I worry about.”
- “I love my caucus, but I don’t worry about party lines,” he said.
- Rogich also said that “I believe in voting based on what is best for our community, even if it means stepping beyond traditional party boundaries.”
- In an interview, Steinbeck told The Indy that “party is the last thing that I worry about.”
- Koenig, a second-term member who represents the third-reddest district in the state, voted against a majority of GOP assemblymembers 12 times, three more than any other member. Koenig was the only Republican to vote in support of AB278, which designates July as Muslim American Heritage Month in Nevada.
- Koenig told The Nevada Independent that his philosophy as a lawmaker is to vote ‘yes’ unless he has a compelling reason to vote ‘no.’
- “My wife, every morning, as I walk out of the apartment, says, ‘Do what’s best for the people,” he said. “If I feel it’s going to help the people, I’m going to vote, ‘yes.’”
- Koenig’s penchant for voting across party lines has drawn the ire of the state party, and he said, at times, members of his party have labeled him a “Republican in Name Only.” “If they want someone who’s going to be far, far right, and say no to everything, then you know I’m not their guy,” Koenig said. “Almost all my bills definitely are geared around helping the rurals, and rural issues aren’t always party lines.”
- During the 2023 session, Koenig was more likely to vote with Democrats than any other member, a Nevada Independent analysis found.
- Koenig told The Nevada Independent that his philosophy as a lawmaker is to vote ‘yes’ unless he has a compelling reason to vote ‘no.’
- The big picture: It’s still very rare for Republicans to not side with a majority of their party — across 14,000 votes cast by the 63 lawmakers this session, a GOP member has done so only 131 times.
- Context: There were thousands of votes cast in support of bills that passed unanimously, indicating it’s not too rare for both parties to agree.
— Eric Neugeboren and Tabitha Mueller
What we’re reading and writing
'I feel like I'm abandoning my students:' DOGE cuts up to 200 AmeriCorps jobs in Nevada by Gabby Birenbaum
It’s part of 41 percent cut to the AmeriCorps budget.
Breastfeeding is tough for working moms. A Nevada lawmaker wants to make it easier. by Lizzie Ramirez
A UNLV student outlines all the hurdles she faced to keep up nursing.
Titus rips bill that ‘doesn’t do anything about affordable housing’ by Michael Lyle, Nevada Current
Not everyone thinks more public land will solve the housing crisis.
Can the state fund universal pre-K?
Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro’s (D-Las Vegas) proposal for universal pre-K was finally introduced Tuesday — with a big asterisk.
SB540 would provide grant funding “to the extent money is available” to support free early childhood literacy and readiness programs serving children under 6 years old, regardless of their household income. The bill doesn’t include a fiscal note, and it comes amid concerns of declining state revenue.
A spokesman for Cannizzaro did not respond to a question on whether Cannizzaro will still push for funding for universal pre-K.
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) has similar language in his bill to provide additional pay for hard-to-fill teacher positions. AB398 doesn’t set a specific appropriation amount, and Yeager has said that funding determination would be made later when lawmakers have a better sense of the budget and how many hard-to-fill positions there are.
In addition to pre-K, Cannizzaro’s bill also touches on teacher recruitment and retention, voting rights for appointed Clark County School Board trustees and setting requirements for future Clark County and Washoe County superintendents and chief financial officers — likely a reaction to the Clark County School District’s budget crisis last year and former Superintendent Jesus Jara’s controversial tenure.
The bill is backed by the Clark County Education Association.
— Rocío Hernández
Bill Spotlight: Don’t have $300K to gamble? Bill would reduce private salon entry requirements
Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) wants to ease requirements on private gaming salons — gaming areas set aside exclusively for high rollers with gambling budgets of six-or-seven figures or higher. The salons were viewed as an offering to keep big money gamblers coming to Strip resorts and other high-end properties as legal gaming was spreading across the U.S.
Here are some highlights of SB459:
- The bill removes a $500 minimum wager requirement on slot machines inside salons, allowing casinos to set their own minimum wager with approval from the Gaming Control Board.
- It would no longer require the salons to have table games.
- Customers currently must provide an up-front deposit of at least $300,000 for wagering to enter a salon.
- “Rather than have those limits live in statute, this allows greater flexibility,” a spokesperson for Cannizzaro said in a statement.
- The legislation came out of a control board workshop last December that explored ways to make the salons accessible to the public when not being used by high rollers.
- Nevada Resort Association President Virginia Valentine said in a statement that the bill represented "common-sense updates to state law that will allow licensees to provide guests with more customized experiences while also helping to attract valuable players that may be choosing to play in other states."
— Howard Stutz
Arbitrator gives state workers’ union members raise
An arbitrator has upheld the collective bargaining proposals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1041 (AFSCME) after it had reached an impasse with the state regarding its upcoming contract. The union represents more than 6,000 state workers.
Here are the details:
- All union members will receive 3 percent raises for each year of the two-year contract
- Members of bargaining Unit C — which includes state DMV and welfare employees who voted to join union contract negotiations last summer — received generally the same benefits as other employees involved in contract negotiations, including four personal days and longevity and bilingual pay — all of which were maintained at current levels in the newly agreed contract.
- No done deal: Despite the arbitrator’s ruling, Gov. Joe Lombardo has final say on state worker wages, as agreed upon in the 2019 bill that gave state workers the right to collectively bargain.
- A spokesperson for Lombardo did not respond to a request for comment on the arbitrator’s decision.
— Eric Neugeboren
Keeping Tabs
❌ Bad news for boards and commissions bill — A budget subcommittee on Wednesday voted against recommending 55 new positions to help oversee the state’s boards and commissions within the Department of Business and Industry. These roles were tied to the passage of SB78, the controversial bill to overhaul the state’s occupational licensing boards, but the decision to not approve these new roles — which would be filled by existing board staff for more than $11 million during the next budget cycle — likely spells trouble for the legislation, which has been a priority for Gov. Joe Lombardo.
— Eric Neugeboren
Days until:
- Second committee passage deadline: 16
- Second house passage deadline: 23
- Sine die: 33
And to get you going into the week, a few social media posts that caught our eye:
- X: Spicy.
- X: Who knew that air fresheners could be a marketing tool?
- Instagram: Who let the dogs out?
We’ll see you next week.
This article was corrected on 5/1/25 at 9:38 a.m. to indicate that Nevada's rainy day fund is just under $1.3 billion.