So much in the world of politics happened in Northern Nevada this week, so many resurrections.
Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Steve Sebelius unwound some of the latest goings ons in Carson City for KNPR’s State of Nevada.
There was the return, again, of the Uber bill, which he calls one of the most fascinating pieces of legislation that he’s seen. There are big lobbying efforts on both sides but ultimately, Sebelius believes lawmakers realize they must deal with it in some fashion.
But he believes there is more to it than just regulating ride-sharing services, Sebelius thinks it is a litmus test for Gov. Brian Sandoval’s budget.
“That bill is now in the Assembly and it’s going to serve two purposes one: regulation of Uber; two it’s going to be a test of the tax vote. If the Assembly concurs with amendments that were made in the Senate, I think we’re going to see a final vote that will pretty much show us what the final vote on the tax plan is going to be,” Sebelius said.
While provisions in the Uber regulation bill have passed and failed and were resurrected again, Sebelius believes it will go forward.
“An Uber bill will pass the legislature there will be regulations, there will be some sort of fee and that money will incorporated into everything that they’re doing in Carson,” he said.
The same cannot be said for some of the gun bills before the Legislature. A bill that would have allowed people with concealed weapon permits take their weapons onto school campuses seems doomed, according to Sebelius.
The thing that might end the effort to pass that bill and other gun bills is a dispute between two lawmakers, Sebelius told KNPR’s State of Nevada.
He said Assemblyman Ira Hansen is not happy that St. Sen. Greg Brower won’t let the campus-carry bill come before the Senate Judiciary Committee. So, he is putting the provisions contained in the bill within another bill which defines justifiable homicide and restricts firearms for domestic abusers.
However, lawmakers might vote the whole thing down because of their dislike for the campus-carry provisions.
“According to Brower, there aren’t enough votes in the Senate for campus carry. So if that bill comes back with campus carry, it’s dead,” Sebelius said. “All of these gun bills, all of these provisions, could fail because Ira Hansen is upset that Greg Brower won’t take up this bill.”
But the biggest political brouhaha this week didn’t come out of Carson City but miles away in Reno when expected presidential hopeful Jeb Bush made a stop.
While signing autographs, Bush was confronted by a University of Nevada-Reno student about the actions of his brother, former President George W. Bush.
Ivy Ziedrich, a political science major and a college Democrat, took issue with Bush’s assertion during his speech that President Barack Obama is to blame for the rise of the so-called Islamic State because of how troops were pulled out of Iraq.
Ziedrich flatly told Bush: “Your brother created ISIS.”
Sebelius said Ziedrich’s diatribe and questions that followed that statement go to the heart of a problem for the as-yet-undeclared candidate.
“That was a cap on the end of a very bad week Jeb Bush had all over the country, when he was trying to deal with this issue of would he or would he not have invaded Iraq,” Sebelius said.
Sebelius said he didn’t think the former governor came off well during the exchange. But he believes the questions the 19 year old asked could be some of the toughest Bush will face during his expected campaign.
Steve Sebelius, columnist, Las Vegas Review-Journal
