Unbelievably, but not necessarly unsurprisingly, though thoroughly disappointedly, every Republican but Assemblyman Ed Goedhart voted with every Democrat for a protectionist, union-backed bill today which has been disingenuously called “Nevada Jobs First” (AB 144).
Republican Mark Sherwood was absent, but indicated to me in a phone conversation that he, too, would have voted no.
Here’s Assemblyman Goedhart’s brief statement explaining his lone, conservative, principled vote against this feel-good bill:
The Nevada Jobs First bill, while well-intended, is fraught with dangers of unintended consequences.
It’s a protectionist bill that could spark retaliatory efforts in other states which would place Nevada contractors at a disadvantage, will drive up the costs for public works projects, and usher in a whole new anti-business regulatory environment of bureaucrats demanding ever-expanding reams of complicated paperwork to assure compliance.
The answer to our economic recovery isn’t to insert more government into the private sector, but to get government out of its hair.
