Last night, state lawmakers struck a deal to send a capital improvement bill to Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, ending a budget showdown that forced the legislature into a special session.
Lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 1 mere hours after the governor issued a proclamation calling the 34th Special Session into order.
The measure is the same as AB521 from the regular session, which ended earlier this week. It provides roughly $2 billion for capital improvement projects around the state.
Senate Republicans initially opposed the bill because they wanted to see additional money earmarked for charter schoolteacher raises, something their counterparts in traditional public schools got.
Scott Hammond of Las Vegas was the only Republican in the Senate to vote for the measure, ending a deadlock that drove lawmakers into the special session.
He said it was a difficult vote but needed.
"We needed to end this. There are a lot of good things in that bill. In that bill, you saw that there's a lot of funding for a lot of great projects we need; we need to move ahead. So, I took the vote that needed to be done."
Hammond, a vocal supporter of school choice initiatives, is term-limited, meaning he cannot seek reelection.
Other Republicans opposed the measure because it reauthorizes a $0.17 property tax required to pay for the state's general obligation bonds.
A's to Las Vegas?
Lombardo has called state lawmakers to convene a special session on Wednesday to determine the fate of a proposed Oakland Athletics stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. It's the second such session the governor has called in as many days.
Lombardo's office issued the proclamation calling for the 35th Special Session of the Nevada Legislature mere moments after lawmakers ended the 34th Special Session.
He wants them to reconsider Senate Bill 509, which would create $380 million in public financing to help the A's organization build a $1.5 billion, 30,000-seat ballpark.
The measure failed to gain traction in the final weeks of the regular session after budget negotiations between the governor's office and Democratic leaders stalled.
It's unclear whether lawmakers will support the tax deal as it currently stands. However, they now have 20 days to come to a consensus.
