CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Eight Republican state senators are suing to challenge legislation extending a business payroll tax and a Motor Vehicle Division technology fee to provide approximately $100 million, which is mostly being used to pay for school safety initiatives and teacher pay raises.
The lawsuit filed Friday in state District Court in Carson City contends majority Democrats needed two-thirds of lawmakers to vote in favor to extend the tax because state law requires a two-thirds vote to impose a tax.
Legislative lawyers disagreed, saying legislation to extend an existing tax didn't trigger the two-thirds vote requirement.
Democrats said the extension of the payroll tax would put $72 million to teacher pay raises and add nearly $17 million to school safety funding, while Republicans said the state could use other money to provide that funding.