GOP presents it's list of cuts -- but not the old list

Pressed for more than two weeks to show everyone their list of budget cuts, the Assembly Republicans Saturday passed out a three-page list of proposed cuts.

Assembly Minority Leader Lynn Hettrick, R-Gardnerville, described it as "just a different format." In fact, it is a completely different list which, instead of concentrating on unpopular cuts such as Senior Rx and the children's health insurance program Nevada Check Up, lists practically every major executive branch program and calls for percentage cuts based on how much of an increase that program received in this budget cycle.

According to Hettrick, the more an agency or program increased, the larger its cut would be. The scale begins at 3 percent cuts for those programs which grew by 10 percent to 6 percent cuts for those which increased more than 40 percent.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, attacked the GOP's numbers saying they "artificially lowered" the budget totals for the past two years, which makes the percentage increases in the new budget passed last month look significantly larger.

The numbers the GOP used don't include more than $92 million in supplemental appropriations, $22.4 million in reserves used to pay welfare costs and a Medicaid transfer of more than $18.5 million.

In addition, the numbers used for the second year of the past budget cycle don't include the total impact of two years worth of salary increases for state workers -- which would boost total salary costs by more than 8 percent and add millions to the 2002-2003 budget total.

Leslie said the effect of those errors is to make the percentage increase in the budget look much larger than it actually is.

Leslie said the cuts on that list are "blanket" and don't consider what caused the increases. She said a good example is the Human Resources Director's office, which shows an 81 percent increase from the last biennium. That increase, she said, was caused by transferring several existing programs including Family to Family into the director's office. She said that's not an increase, just a reorganization.

Also on the list is the 30 percent increase in the general fund budget for Cultural Affairs and an increase nearly that large in the Conservation budget -- specifically the Parks Division. Both of those increases were caused by the reduction in room tax revenues which followed September 11. Without room tax revenues, the state had to make up the lost money using general fund cash to keep the parks and cultural affairs programs at the same level they were.

The plan would also cut nearly $1 million out of the district judge salary category. The only money in that account, she said, pays salaries for Nevada's district judges. Most of the increase was driven by the decision to add more judges.

"What do we do, eliminate some judges?"

Hettrick said the cuts were spread across all agencies because he believes every agency can stand a 3-6 percent "reduction in its enhancement."

Leslie said many of those increases were caused by the state's growth and are necessary simply to maintain existing services.

She said the University system would lose $53 million under the GOP plan. She said the system has been growing rapidly and most of the increases are to put teachers in classrooms. UNLV, she said, would be hardest hit -- losing $15.4 million -- because it grew the most.

The plan could chop $12.2 million out of the Mental Health, Developmental Services budget and $10.1 million out of welfare. It would take $25 million out of Medicaid.

Where specifically to make the reductions, Hettrick said, would be left up to Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Leslie said they group wants to take credit for reducing the size of the tax increase but leave the governor the blame for specific program cuts.

"If you want to cut something, stand up and say what. I can respect that. They don't have the guts to decide," she said.

And she said some of the cuts don't make any sense such as taking nearly $1 million out of the taxation budget. That department's budget was increased to provide the technology and staff including auditors necessary to collect the new and increased taxes.

"It's voodoo math," she said.