Politics - Las Vegas Sun News

Sam Morris

The Legislative Building is reflected in the window of a bar and restaurant across the street on the fifth day of the 2011 legislative session Friday, February 11, 2011 in Carson City.

Post-session, interim work keeps Nevada legislators busy, paid: LEGISLATURE 2013:; June 19, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; The 120-day legislative session ended this month, and now it’s time for the Legislature to start studying.

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What should the word bubble say? You tell us in the June edition of the Smithereens Cartoon Caption Contest.

Time to vote: Which cartoon caption is best?: June 19, 2013; By Sun Staff; It's time to decide who will win the June edition of the Smithereens Cartoon Caption Contest, featuring an elephant.

Sen. Heller: Keep mortgage forgiveness debt relief tax-free: June 19, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Senators from two of the nation’s states hit hardest by the bursting of the housing bubble are trying to make sure Congress extends mortgage forgiveness tax relief for at least another two years.

Nevada gets seat on Southern Border Security Commission: June 19, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve Nevada as an additional member to the immigration bill’s Southern Border Security Commission, despite the fact that the Silver State doesn’t actually share a border with Mexico.

Reid says Washington, D.C., deserves to become a state: June 19, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid already presides over a body of 100 senators. But he wouldn’t mind if two more join the fold.

People shout out against the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act in the hall outside the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 18, 2013. The committee in the Republican-led House is preparing to cast its first votes on immigration this year, on a tough enforcement-focused measure that Democrats and immigrant groups are protesting loudly.

Analysis: Senate bill still allows illegal immigration: June 19, 2013; By David Espo and Erica Werner, Associated Press; Illegal immigration into the United States would decrease by only 25 percent under a far-reaching Senate immigration bill, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office that also finds the measure reduces federal deficits by billions.

Yerington land swap bill getting more love in Senate than House: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Back in February, the Nevada delegation agreed that the best way to get the Lyon County land swap legislation through Congress was to have the House of Representatives act on it first.

In partisan vote, House opts for new abortion limits: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to ban abortions after 20 weeks, with the Nevada delegation split down the party line.

Margins tax advocates going after voters 17 months ahead of election: June 18, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; The campaign to pass a 2 percent business tax on the 2014 ballot begins in earnest on Wednesday. Supporters of the ballot measure will launch a website to roll out the campaign about 17 months before the Nov. 4, 2014, election, said political strategist Dan Hart, who is leading the Education Initiative campaign to pass the tax.

Budget office: Immigration bill would not add to federal deficit: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The Congressional Budget Office determined late Tuesday that the Senate’s immigration bill will not add to the federal deficit in the short or the long term, enervating one of the most powerful arguments against passing immigration reform and giving Democrats something to crow about.

On immigration reform, D.C. has a House divided: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; As the Senate tries to muster a bipartisan compromise on comprehensive immigration reform, inter-party camaraderie in the House is headed for a breakdown.

Yucca Mountain is located about 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

GOP threatens to build Yucca if Reid kills filibuster: June 18, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; Sen. Harry Reid has long been warning Republicans he has the power to get his agenda around their “nay” votes by curtailing the procedural filibuster.

GOP bill would feed new funding to stalled Yucca Mountain project: June 17, 2013; By Karoun Demirjian; The annual federal fiscal fight over Yucca Mountain is on once again, now that House Republicans have released their annual appropriations proposal for fiscal 2014.

If NV Energy made too much money last year, should you get a refund?: June 17, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; NV Energy customers in Southern Nevada could soon get a rebate. A state agency is alleging that the utility essentially overcharged customers and should refund about $10 million to Southern Nevada ratepayers.

Legislature, Sandoval passed the buck on tax increases to counties: June 16, 2013; By Andrew Doughman; It may seem like a riddle, but the Legislature effectively voted to raise taxes this year without ever really voting to raise taxes. That’s because legislators in several cases circumvented the two-thirds majority requirement to raise taxes and instead dumped the political toxicity of a tax vote on county commissions, whose members will vote on legislatively authorized taxes this year.