In today’s edition: 

• Red flags for state’s economy
• Public financing for Grand Sierra Resort project raises questions, bill in Senate dead
• Frustration over copyright rules continue

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From the Capital Bureau Chief:

In our last newsletter, I mentioned my pet peeve about lawmakers reserving the right to vote against a bill they had supported in committee — and proving Cunningham's Law, subsequently learned some interesting context from a few knowledgeable sources.

Though Senate rules do not require disclosing in committee the intention of voting differently on the floor (which is what I had referenced), Assembly rules do. 

Lorne Malkiewich, the former director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said reserving the right to change one’s vote is a courtesy to the chair and the bill sponsor. 

“The chair needs to know how many votes the bill will have on the floor from his/her committee,” Malkiewich wrote in an email. “And there were some angry chairs when people flipped on the floor without notice.”

Malkiewich did note that lawmakers can change their minds (and votes) without notice, but they rarely do so without explaining their decision beforehand. 

Adding to the list of things I’ve learned recently, the consequence of an unexcused absence — such as the one assessed on Sen. Carrie Buck (R-Henderson) on Friday when she attended an event with a Trump Cabinet member — is that a lawmaker does not receive their per diem allowance for the day (see Senate Standing Rule No. 12). Personal finance disclosures indicate that’s about $200.

The more you learn! 

As always, please send us your questions, thoughts and suggestions. You can reach me at tabitha@thenvindy.com.

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Early trouble signs for Nevada budget

A Nevada panel that provides projections for the state’s non-major revenue sources for the next two years approved a less optimistic outlook on Wednesday than estimates it made in November, driven in large part by bearishness regarding Las Vegas tourism.

The meeting of the state’s Technical Advisory Committee on Future State Revenues — composed of economists and legislative fiscal staff — comes one week before Nevada’s Economic Forum meets to project the revenue from major sources such as the sales tax for the next two budget years. 

The governor and lawmakers are legally bound to pass a two-year balanced budget that relies on the Economic Forum’s tax revenue forecast — making its upcoming May 1 meeting a crucial juncture for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic legislative leaders, especially if expected revenues decrease and cuts need to be made. 

There is widespread angst surrounding the upcoming forum’s budget projections — and a handout provided at Wednesday’s meeting didn’t help. 

In the first nine months of the fiscal year, the state experienced a decrease of 3.2 percent ($102 million) of tax revenue compared with the same point in 2024, largely because of a roughly 9 percent decrease in revenue from the state’s sales and use tax.

Here are the highlights (or lowlights) from Wednesday’s meeting.

• The committee approved revenue projections for tax credits and non-major revenues — which make up about 12 percent of total state revenues and include sources such as insurance taxes and fees and fines  — that marked a significant reduction in its prior estimates for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
  • Compared with the November projections, the latest estimates expect a roughly $16 million decrease in non-major revenues for both fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2027.
    • This represents a roughly 2.3 percent decrease in projected revenues compared to the November forecast.
  • The projections also indicate an expected decline in non-major revenues over the next two years.
• There was an expected $8 million increase in projections for fiscal year 2025, but that was only because of a recent $10.5 million fine assessed to Resorts World for money laundering violations.
• Some of the largest drivers of the decreased revenue projections were related to decreased tourism to Las Vegas — a significant red flag for the state’s economy — including a projected $7.5 million decrease in revenue estimates for fees related to rental cars.

— Eric Neugeboren

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What we’re reading and writing

Live updates: Nevada Legislature’s first house passage deadline day by The Nevada Independent Staff

Bills lived, bills died, and The Indy’s legislative team documented it all.

Seniors pack a bus to Carson City to advocate for legislation by Lucia Starbuck, KUNR Public Radio

Talking ‘bout my generation.

Data centers: Economic benefit or environmental boondoggle? by Richard Bednarski, Sierra Nevada Ally

What could be bad about using up a bunch of water in the desert?

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Reno board questions public financing for Grand Sierra project

A request by operators of the Grand Sierra Resort for millions in public financing to help build a sports arena as part of a $1 billion renovation project advanced Monday to the full Reno City Council without a recommendation.

Rather than taking positions to support or oppose the project, the Reno Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board voted 5-2 to advance the proposal and let the council decide whether the project qualifies for tax-increment financing (TIF). TIFs work by freezing the rate of property tax designated for the government in a given area, and then diverting any additional property tax revenue generated from a new project back to the developer to pay for the construction costs.

The advisory board consists of nine community members and was created in January to analyze redevelopment projects before they go to the Reno Redevelopment Board, which is composed of the seven city council members who will ultimately vote on approving public money for the project.

The key element in the project is a 10,000-seat sports arena that would be home to the Nevada Wolf Pack men’s basketball team and other special events. 

But the proposal has drawn opposition from other casinos in the region, and has even come up in this year’s legislative session.

Here’s some other details from the meeting:

• Three options were presented to the board, with varying levels of TIF property tax reimbursement and either the sale or leaseback of a Reno fire station on the Grand Sierra site.
• The $68.1 million in TIF funding is below the original $97 million sought by Meruelo Gaming Group, operators of the Grand Sierra.
  • The reduction comes because the city cannot use TIF money beyond 2035. 
  • SB401, which would have extended the deadline out to 2055, died in committee without a hearing. Legislative sources said there are currently no plans to resurrect the measure.

• Meruelo Gaming Senior Vice President Andrew Diss told the board that project costs have escalated because of the economy and tariffs on steel and other building materials. 
• The proposed expansion also includes a new hotel tower and non-gaming enhancements such as a Top Golf-style driving range surrounding the existing resort.
  • “The TIF is an essential component for making this project possible,” Diss said. 
  • In a statement, Meruelo Gaming said TIF generated from the project safeguards the city, “which is not being asked to use tax dollars that anyone else pays.”
• The two board members who voted against the project, Michael Pagni and Nettie Olivero, said they didn’t believe Grand Sierra is located in a blighted area — one of the requirements for TIF funding.
• The Reno City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, could consider the project on May 7.

— Howard Stutz

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 Keeping Tabs

🕺“There once was a man from Las Vegas” —  If you noticed (and how can you not …) Sen. James Ohrenschall (D-Las Vegas) reciting limericks before certain Senate floor votes, it’s all because of Senate Standing Rule 23.11, which requires that legislators disclose conflicts of interest. Ohrenschall’s wife, Riana Durrett, serves on the Cannabis Compliance Board, which is bringing multiple bills this session. 

✍️Lombardo signs second bill of session — Gov. Joe Lombardo on Wednesday signed SB96, a unanimously approved bill sponsored by Sen. Lisa Krasner (R-Reno) that makes Jan. 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Nevada. The signing was done on Yom HaShoah, which is Holocaust Remembrance Day.

😡Frustration over copyright rules continues — Paul Enos, the CEO of the Nevada Trucking Association, sent an email to lawmakers last week with concerns about the Legislature’s copyright policy resulting in exhibits not being displayed. He said the rule “impedes public access to vital information,” citing certain data that he attached as an exhibit to SB180 was not initially accessible. But if other lobbyists want their exhibits to show up, Enos may have cracked the code — the data is now accessible.

— Eric Neugeboren, Isabella Aldrete

Looking Ahead

• Thursday, April 24, 1:30 - 5 p.m.: Former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Richard Bryan is holding a book signing in room 2200 at the Legislature.

Days until: 

• Second committee passage deadline: 23
• Second house passage deadline: 30
• Sine die: 40

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And to ease you into the weekend, a few social media posts that caught our eye: 

• Instagram: Once a fan, always a fan?
• X: Even for lawmakers, the homework never stops.
• X: Seen, but never heard. RIP.

We’ll see you next week.

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