In today’s edition: 

• Officials conceded an IT system rollout has been “painful” 
• If a ballot measure doesn’t succeed, try the Legislature?
• A higher bar to enter the presidential primary?

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From the Capital Bureau Chief:

Monday was the last day for legislators to introduce a bill, but the big deadline is March 24 — the last day for committee bills and the governor’s legislation to be introduced. 

Gov. Joe Lombardo has said his five measures on health care, education accountability, public safety, economic development and housing will “deliver tangible results, improve government efficiency and provide financial relief to taxpayers.” 

The eagerly anticipated bills could be central to end-of-session negotiations (The Deal ™) between the Democrat-controlled Legislature and the Republican governor. Democrats know they can pass whatever legislation they like, but Lombardo will decide what to sign into law and what to veto — will they work together so each side gets some wins?

Almost as important: Who gets the credit?

Sen. Julie Pazina (D-Las Vegas) has been working with Sen. Robin Titus (R-Wellington) on a graduate medical education bill (SB262) that would expand residency training and postdoctoral fellowships. 

But Titus and other Republican lawmakers have not signed on as sponsors, even though adding residency slots is a popular idea on both sides of the aisle. 

Sources familiar with the situation indicate that this is because Lombardo’s forthcoming health care bill has similar provisions, and Republican lawmakers are supporting the governor by only signing on to his bill. There are also fears that Democrats would not give the governor’s bill a hearing if all lawmakers signed Pazina’s bill.

Nearly all Democrats have signed on as sponsors of Pazina’s bill. Only three Democratic lawmakers did not sponsor the legislation: Assms. Max Carter (D-Las Vegas), Brittney Miller (D-Las Vegas) and Sen. Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas), who was in the hospital when sponsor signatures were gathered.

Once we have the legislation in hand, we’ll have a better understanding of what Democrats and Lombardo are willing to compromise on and where they’ll draw a line in the sand. Democrats could also decide to gut and replace Lombardo’s proposed legislation. Only time will tell...

As always, please send us your questions, thoughts and suggestions. You can reach me at [email protected].

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CORE.NV leaders admit IT project has “been very painful”

During a Friday budget hearing, the head of the Office of Project Management (OPM) conceded that the accelerated rollout of the state’s new finance system has resulted in tension with agencies and system errors, but touted the overall project as a “major success” so far.

Here’s what to know:

• The hearing was the first public testimony from a top-ranking project leader since the first phase of the massive project to overhaul the state’s finance and human resources systems went live at the start of the year.
  • The Indy previously reported that the rollout was plagued by glitches, including vendors not being paid and an inability to distribute certain child support, pension and health savings account payments.
  • An earlier attempt to revamp the outdated systems failed, with the state spending $80 million.
• Brian Bowles, the director of OPM, told legislators that many of the errors stemmed from the rollout’s quickened pace, which state officials have said was necessary because of the broken-down state of the existing finance and HR systems.
  • Aiming to go live within 18 months (as opposed to the multiple years that these projects usually take), the state chose to only have one round of testing and training, which Bowles said was a primary reason for many of the post-rollout issues.
    • Some vendors were not paid because of staffers’ unfamiliarity with the new system, and certain payments (such as child support) were not deducted from employees’ paychecks because of an error in the bank code that was plugged into the system — a problem that Bowles said was fixed within four business days. 
    • “We knew we were going to go through it, and we knew we were going to put the state through it for a little bit — and that’s exactly what occurred,” he said. “We believe we’re on top of it now.”
  • The state also approached agencies differently than it might have with a longer timeline. The typical approach involves adapting to agencies’ existing processes and changing the new system as needed. Instead, agencies were shown the way the new system worked “out of the box,” and when the new system could not be aligned with agencies’ existing processes, project officials asked agencies to do the adapting.
    • “It created a lot of friction with our stakeholder agencies,” Bowles said. “In many ways it’s been very painful.”
• However, officials were pleased overall with the rollout so far.
  • They said that the new system has sent out $2 billion in payments through the first two months. Additionally, data presented during Friday’s hearing shows that 80 percent of the help requests related to the project had been resolved by early March, but it is unclear if that includes issues that were only partially addressed.
  • “What we experienced was within the range of normal in the project management world,” Bowles said. “We count this as a major success even though we had so many issues.”

– Eric Neugeboren

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What we’re reading and writing

Follow the Money: Which industries gave the most to Nevada lawmakers? by Eric Neugeboren

“Money, it's a gas.”

‘Soil is a living thing:’ Why a healthy dirt program is again before Nevada lawmakers by Amy Alonzo

Healthy soil is happy soil.

Settlements were meant to curb opioid epidemic. Critics say Lombardo’s budget misuses them by Tabitha Mueller

What could go wrong?

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Bill spotlight: Attorney fee cap is back

The Nevada Supreme Court blocked an Uber-backed ballot measure to crack down on attorney fees earlier this year, but the idea has been reincarnated in the Legislature with two bills sponsored by Sen. Ira Hansen (R-Sparks) and introduced Monday.

Here’s what to know:

• SB365 would cap attorney fees at 20 percent of all settlements and awards, except for negligence cases against a health care provider and lawsuits related to certain state agencies. SB363 would also cap attorney fees at 20 percent of all settlements and awards in cases of workplace-related injuries or disease.
• The bills come after Uber’s controversial ballot measure was blocked in court.
  • The ride-sharing company poured $5 million into the effort, which it said would limit payouts to “billboard attorneys.” 
  • That proposal received staunch opposition from the Nevada Justice Association, a group of trial lawyers whose political arm was the highest-spending donor to Nevada legislators last election cycle.
    • Opponents argued that Uber was pushing the measure to stymie sexual misconduct lawsuits it was facing, and that the proposal would make it much harder to convince lawyers to take on cases with such a cap in place.
• Hansen told The Indy that his decision to sponsor the bill stemmed from high auto insurance rates.
  • “Trial lawyers are making tremendous deals with the insurance industry, and consequently to pay for that, your rates go up. There’s an absolute correlation between the two,” Hansen said in an interview.

— Eric Neugeboren

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Keeping Tabs

🗳️ Thinning out the presidential primary field — Under Nevada law, there is no fee to participate in the presidential primary — but that could soon change. SB225, which would establish a $1,000 filing fee, was heard Thursday in the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections during a brief hearing with no opposition. The secretary of state’s office supports the bill because a lack of filing fee could cause an exorbitant number of candidates to run in the primary, which would lengthen the ballot and increase costs. 

• There were seven Republican and 13 Democratic candidates on Nevada’s presidential primary ballot last year.

🏠New anti-rent control ad — Nevada Realtors released a television ad on Sunday opposing rent control. The 30-second spot features Latin Chamber of Commerce CEO Peter Guzman, who said the solution to high housing costs “is more construction. You gotta let the market dictate, not government.”

• Context: Assm. Sandra Jauregui (D-Las Vegas) is bringing back a vetoed proposal that would place a cap on rent increases for Social Security recipients and for people 62 and older. Housing developers have also said that a price-fixing ban backed by Attorney General Aaron Ford could open the door for rent control.

🌈Las Vegas’ “Fruit Loop” could become a designated LGBTQ+ landmark — SCR2 is seeking to preserve Nevada’s queer history by making the “Fruit Loop,” a neighborhood in Las Vegas known for its LGBTQ+ businesses and entertainment, the state’s next LGBTQ+ historical landmark. Since the 1970s, the area located between East Naples Drive and University Center Drive in Las Vegas has been a “hub for activism, community-building and celebrations,” according to the resolution.

— Eric Neugeboren and Isabella Aldrete

Looking Ahead

• Tuesday, March 18, 12:30 p.m.: Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) will hold a press conference with the Clark County Education Association to discuss education priorities for the 2025 legislative session.
• Tuesday, March 18, 6 - 8 p.m.: The Nevada Open Government Coalition and the Nevada Press Association are hosting a Sunshine Week reception to celebrate transparency and open government at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.
• Wednesday, March 19, 6:30 - 8 p.m.: Gov. Joe Lombardo is speaking at the National Automobile Museum in Reno as part of the museum’s speaker series.
• Wednesday, March 19, 8 a.m.: Attorney General Aaron Ford’s bill SB63, is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor. The measure would require social media platforms to implement age verification systems and obtain parental consent for minors’ use.

Days until: 

• Last day for bill introductions: 7
• First house passage deadline: 36
• Sine die: 77

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And to get you going into the week, a few social media posts that caught our eye: 

• X: Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
• X: Bipartisanship.
• Instagram: Tell me Monday was St. Patrick’s Day without telling me it was St. Patrick’s Day.