After Beating Up GOP Bills, Dems Now Ask For Bipartisanship

(Michael Chamberlain/Nevada Business Coalition) – Almost since the very beginning of this session of the Nevada Legislature, Republicans have argued that majority Democrats have engaged in a systematic campaign to kill GOP-sponsored legislation. An analysis of the path of bills in the Assembly reveals, at least in this house, their complaints may be well-founded.

The legislative calendar contains several deadlines in which bills that have not advanced sufficiently through the process by a certain date die. Nearly half of all Republican proposals did not survive one of these deadlines, while over 72% of Democrat-sponsored bills managed to remain alive or had already passed. More than ¾ of all the bills that survived the deadlines were sponsored by Democrats.

Almost four times as much legislation sponsored by Democrats has passed the Assembly than have bills by Republicans. In fact, if the Democrat-sponsored bills that are still pending passed at the same rate as their bills have thus far, every single piece of pending GOP legislation would have to be approved in order for the Republicans to match the Democrats’ rate of passage. Furthermore, if this rate were to hold for the Democrats, they would end up with more of their bills passed than the number of Republican bills submitted.

With a fairly large majority in the Assembly it only makes sense that more legislation would be proposed by Democrats and more of their bills would advance through the process as well. But the discrepancies are staggering, to the extent that one may wonder if there are other forces at work.

As the current session of the Nevada Legislature reaches its final weeks, the Democratic majority is insisting Republicans reach across the aisle to embrace the majority’s budget proposal. But, as the data shows, Democrats have treated Republican proposals with gruesome brutality this session. Democrats have not shown anywhere near the same willingness to consider GOP legislation as they are now demanding the Republicans show toward theirs. Republicans should not be fooled by self-serving, eleventh-hour appeals for bipartisanship.

Failed – bills that died because they failed to pass a milestone by a required deadline
Signed – signed into law by governor

(Michael Chamberlain is Executive Director of Nevada Business Coalition.)