From kindergarten to college graduation, Nevada’s education system has overcome a multitude of hurdles in recent years. Even so, the system still has a long way to go. Coming together to discuss issues Nevada faces in regards to education, a combination of business leaders, economic development resources and leaders in education recently met at the Las Vegas offices of Cox … [Read more...] about Industry Focus: Education
Nevada Policy Research Institute
Taxpayers Lose Big: Lawmakers Impose New Burdens
Three years ago, both Brian Sandoval and Rory Reid ran for governor on a “no new taxes” platform. Last year, voters in five Nevada counties rejected six efforts to raise taxes — even though Barack Obama was at the top of the ticket, driving liberal voter turnout. Given the clear will of the voters throughout the state, you’d expect that the governor and legislators would … [Read more...] about Taxpayers Lose Big: Lawmakers Impose New Burdens
Can Hollywood be ‘Caged’ in Nevada? Film-tax credit drew big-name supporters, but has shaky track record
He began: “My name is Nicolas Cage, and I am an American filmmaker.” On May 7th of this year, Cage appeared before a legislative committee to ask it to implement a film-tax credit in the State of Nevada. He argued that the lack of these tax credits was the only thing holding back a deluge of producers coming into the Silver State to build movie studios and film movies. … [Read more...] about Can Hollywood be ‘Caged’ in Nevada? Film-tax credit drew big-name supporters, but has shaky track record
Commentary: Want America’s best teachers?
Pay the exceptionally effective exceptionally well. Academic achievement, secondary school graduation and college entrance rates are alarmingly low in Nevada. And required remediation, for those few who do go to college, is dismayingly high. These conditions place Nevada at the bottom of national and international education measures. While pockets of promise exist among … [Read more...] about Commentary: Want America’s best teachers?
31 Percent of Nevada Workers Want to Leave Their Unions
Union Restrictions Make it Difficult for Members to Opt Out Have you ever been trapped? Maybe you were stuck in traffic without A/C on a blistering summer day. Maybe an elevator door took three beats too long to open. Maybe you squeezed into clothes that were just a bit too tight and constricted your movements. Being trapped is a terrible feeling. You feel stuck, isolated … [Read more...] about 31 Percent of Nevada Workers Want to Leave Their Unions
Transparent Nevada: Nevada’s Collective Bargaining Laws Enable Government Employees to Live High at Taxpayers’ Expense
Last year, Governor Brian Sandoval made $181,586.49 in total compensation. How many government employees in Nevada made more than the governor? One hundred, five hundred … maybe a thousand? No, nope and not even close. Over 2,000 government employees in Nevada made more in total compensation than the governor in 2012. Those employees include, a community services … [Read more...] about Transparent Nevada: Nevada’s Collective Bargaining Laws Enable Government Employees to Live High at Taxpayers’ Expense
Let’s Quit Killing Jobs in the Silver State: Legislators Should Remove Obstacles to Job Creation
Nevada’s unemployment rate has lingered at unacceptably high, double-digit rates for nearly four years. That uncomfortable statistic — reflecting deep human costs inflicted on many Nevada families — has led the state’s political class to make much ado about promoting “economic development.” During the 2011 legislative session, for example, lawmakers created a new “state … [Read more...] about Let’s Quit Killing Jobs in the Silver State: Legislators Should Remove Obstacles to Job Creation
Taxpayers Don’t Prevail: Nevada’s prevailing wage law benefits narrow groups at public expense
Imagine you’re a plumber living in Mesquite. For most jobs, you’d probably earn as much as a plumber living in nearby St. George, Utah — $19.67 per hour, on average, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. If you can get work on a public works project financed by Clark County or the State of Nevada in your hometown, however, your employer would be required to … [Read more...] about Taxpayers Don’t Prevail: Nevada’s prevailing wage law benefits narrow groups at public expense
What the Obamacare Decision Means for State Policymakers: Court gives states the option of financing congressional scheme
Few decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court have captured the public interest as did its June opinion in NFIB v. Sebelius. This long-anticipated ruling was widely perceived as the final judicial test for one of the most controversial acts of Congress in decades: the Affordable Care Act (ACA), popularly known as Obamacare. The challenge centered on whether Congress has the … [Read more...] about What the Obamacare Decision Means for State Policymakers: Court gives states the option of financing congressional scheme
Prevailing Wage Laws: Time to End This Corrupt System
Nevada’s so-called “prevailing wage” laws cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year – many of these dollars go into union coffers instead of to workers. Once you know the facts about it, you’ll be as outraged as I am that this politically motivated system has been allowed to continue. Prevailing wage laws require contractors who bid on public works projects to pay all … [Read more...] about Prevailing Wage Laws: Time to End This Corrupt System
Inflated Salaries Revealed: More than 1,000 government employees made over $200,000 in total compensation in 2011
Pop quiz time. Who made more in base pay in 2011: Gov. Brian Sandoval — at $143,426.25 — or the parks director for the City of Reno? Who made more in base pay in 2011: Any of Clark County’s 15 top-paid senior attorneys or Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, who earned $140,389.37? Finally, who made more in base pay in 2011: Gov. Brian Sandoval or the building and … [Read more...] about Inflated Salaries Revealed: More than 1,000 government employees made over $200,000 in total compensation in 2011
Education Outlook: Weathering the Storm
Against a persistent backdrop of brutal budget cuts, shrinking revenues and heightened expectations, K-12 educators in Nevada continue to explore and implement innovative solutions to the challenges they face in the state’s schools. “We’re in the new normal now with the expectation that we’ll have to do more with less,” says Heath Morrison, superintendent of Washoe County … [Read more...] about Education Outlook: Weathering the Storm
Hiding Behind Opaque Numbers: Nevada PERS Accounting Practices are Concealing Taxpayers’ Real Liabilities
Nothing pleases a politician more than the ability to promise lavish benefits to important constituencies without having to pay for them. Nevada lawmakers long ago found a vote-buying cash cow of this nature in the state’s Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). PERS manages a defined-benefits pension system that operates much differently from the retirement funds owned … [Read more...] about Hiding Behind Opaque Numbers: Nevada PERS Accounting Practices are Concealing Taxpayers’ Real Liabilities