The Assembly on Friday passed a bill that would, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports, “create a citizens committee to prepare ballot questions on how Nevadans want to pay for highway improvements.”
In other words, the Assembly wants to get around the 2/3 super-majority requirement for the Legislature to pass tax hikes, as well as circumvent the expensive and time-consuming signature-gathering initiative process, by having a “citizens committee” draft palatable tax hike proposals for the Legislature to place on the ballot by a simple majority vote.
Six of the eight committee members would be appointed by the Democrats; two by Republicans. Then-Gov. Jim Gibbons vetoed the same bill two years ago.
Regretfully, two Republicans – Assembly Assistant Minority Leader Lynn “The Bug Man” Stewart and Assemblywoman Melissa Woodbury – fell for it and voted with every one of the Democrats to approve the citizens committee which I GUARANTEE won’t include yours truly.
