3 things to watch for on Legislative Session Day 11 — VIDEO

Las Vegas Review-Journal

8 years ago

Nevada Sen. Don Gustavson, R-Sparks, speaks in opposition to a record $1.1 billion general fund tax package during Senate floor discussion at the Legislative Building in Carson City, Nev., on Monday, June 1, 2015. Gustavson and Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden, right, were two of the dissenting votes as the Senate approved the measure 18-3. (Cathleen Allison/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel, D-Sparks thanks legislators for the birthday wishes she’s received inside the Nevada Legislative Building Thursday, May 14, 2015, in Carson City. (Lisa J. Tolda/Special to the Las Vegas Review-Journal).

It’s Day 11 of the 2017 Legislative Session. It’ll be a full day of committee hearings with bills on a wide variety of subjects.

Here’s what to watch for.

1. Mandatory cursive. SB86, sponsored by Sen. Don Gustavson and up in Senate Education, would require that public elementary schools teach all students cursive. While research shows learning cursive has developmental benefits, it’d be better for students — empowered by Education Savings Accounts — to be able to choose if they wanted to attend a school teaching cursive or not.

2. A middle-class task force. AB155, sponsored by Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel and being heard today in Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections, would create the Task Force on the Economics of the Middle Class. One of the jobs of the task force would be to define what it means to be middle class in Nevada and create recommendations to improve conditions for the middle class. But government shouldn’t pick winners and losers in the economy, especially when you have to try and figure out who the winners would be.

3. Property taxes are back. In a joint meeting of Senate Revenue and Assembly Taxation, the property tax discussion continues with representatives from five local governments coming forward to cry poverty. On Wednesday, Sen. Ben Kieckhefer, R-Reno, exposed that Clark County officials were skewing data in order to make the case that they need higher property taxes. Let’s hope the officials presenting today are more honest.

[View the story “NV Legislature 2017 Session: Day 11 ” on Storify]

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.