October '08 Nevada Government—Governor Jim Gibbons Column

Governor Gibbons And Assemblywoman Gansert

on Voter Registration Fraud Allegations

On April 28, 2008 the United States Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law requiring photo identification prior to voting. That same day Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert submitted Bill Draft Request 24-79, which would require photo identification to vote in Nevada. Governor Jim Gibbons is in full support of this legislation. The Governor and Assemblywoman Gansert issued the following statements regarding the Secretary of State’s investigation into allegations of voter registration fraud by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in Las Vegas.

“Our voting system is very simply the greatest in the world and is the basis of what makes this country great. The allegation that an organization that’s main purpose is to register new voters was doing so fraudulently is very troubling. I believe that requiring a photo ID to vote is a very reasonable protection for our voting system and should be enacted as law by the 2009 Legislature.” – Governor Jim Gibbons

“The right to vote and the integrity of our voting system are the foundations of our Democracy. There is nothing more important than ensuring our voting system is sound and protects the voting rights of citizens. The allegation that people were intentionally trying to undermine our voting system worries me greatly. Now, more than ever, we need to require a photo ID to vote in order to maintain the integrity of our Democracy.” – Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert

Tax Amnesty Extended After Generating
$27 Million In First Months

At the request of Governor Jim Gibbons today, the Nevada Tax Commission extended for nearly one month the duration of the Governor’s tax amnesty program, which has generated more than $27 million, far exceeding the original estimate.

The Governor proposed the program in May and it took effect July 1, giving businesses with outstanding sales and use taxes, business license fees and modified business taxes the opportunity to pay their obligation without penalties or interest. The program also enticed non-licensed businesses to register with the state and pay back taxes.

During the Special Session of the Legislature in June, lawmakers allocated $4 million from the amnesty program to help balance the budget. Those amnesty payments have now exceeded $27.3 million.

“This program has far surpassed any expectations we had for it,” the Governor said. “With this strong show of willingness by taxpayers to come forward, I asked the Nevada Tax Commission to extend the emergency regulations to the full 120 days available by law. This will allow additional businesses to come forward and take advantage of this great opportunity.”

The Governor also thanked all the employees of the Nevada Department of Taxation who worked extremely hard processing applications and going so far as to hand-deliver documents to businesses wanting to take advantage of the program.

“This success couldn’t have been achieved without the hard work of these state employees, and I’d personally like to thank them for the role they played in helping the state during this budget crisis,” Gibbons said. “Each dollar this program brings in is a dollar that stays in education, health care and other critical pubic services.”

Governor Creates Panel To
Coordinate Housing Rescue Efforts

Governor Jim Gibbons today announced the creation of the Housing Recovery Act Implementation Task Force, charging it with coordinating the efforts of local governments as they utilize the funding they receive from the federal government through the Housing and Economic Recovery Act.

Gibbons has appointed Wells Fargo Regional President Kirk Clausen to chair the task force, which will also include Applied Analysis partner Jeremy Aguero. Filling out the panel will be representatives from the local governments receiving direct appropriations from the federal government, as well as a representative of the Nevada Association of Counties on behalf of local jurisdictions that did not receive direct funding.

“Through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, the federal government has allocated nearly $72 million to Nevada,” the Governor said. “It’s critical that we have a coordinated effort to leverage and maximize these dollars to achieve the greatest impact.”

The Governor is scheduled to host the first meeting of the Housing Recovery Act Implementation Task Force in his office on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The federal legislation provides the funding through block grants to the local governments for several purposes, including for the purchase of abandoned or foreclosed homes, creating land banks of foreclosed properties, demolishing blighted structures and redeveloping blighted properties.

“Each community that receives funding has unique needs and may very well need to customize their plan for utilizing these dollars,” the Governor said. “But having the panel share ideas and strategize for getting the most out of every dollar will best serve the people of Nevada and these communities as they recover from the housing crash.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated nearly $72 million to the state of Nevada through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Of that $72 million, the state will distribute nearly $24.3 million to local governments through a formula that is still to be determined.

HUD specifically allocated the remainder of the funding as follows: nearly $23 million to Clark County, about $3.2 million to Henderson, about $14.8 million to Las Vegas and about $6.8 million for Mesquite and North Las Vegas combined. Representatives of those governments will also be members of the task force.

“The housing crash was the first domino to fall in the series of problems that have dragged down Nevada’s economy,” the Governor said. “We need to ensure that these dollars from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program are invested wisely while we address this housing problem in our state.”