News - May 16, 2016 - by Ray Hagar

The 2017 Nevada Legislature will not have a lot of new money to work with, although Medicaid costs will continue to increase, said veteran legislative and statehouse reporter Sean Whaley.

Whaley, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is one of the longest-serving legislative and statehouse reporters in Nevada. He spoke Monday on the Nevada Newsmakers TV program.

"So it (Medicaid) is going to continue to grow and Mike Willden, the governor's chief of staff, said it is going to be one of the big budget items in the upcoming session," Whaley said. "More people will join in. The state's share of the program will continue to expand. They don't expect a ton more tax revenue. It's going to be an interesting, to try and manage the needs (of Medicaid) and I'm sure the governor has a few other things he'd like to accomplish."

Medicaid helps pay for the medical needs and hospitalization of low-income families and individuals and is funded by federal and state taxes. Nevada's costs for Medicaid will continue to expand, Whaley said.

"I do know that the Medicaid funding issue is going to be a big one for the Legislature because they expanded the program to offer it to more Nevada residents, who took advantage of it," Whaley said. "And with the healthcare/Obamacare in place, it was a healthcare option that a lot of people needed to pursue."

Yet the tax revenue that is currently fueling Nevada's record $7.3 billion general fund biennium budget is not expected to increase dramatically, Whaley said.

New tax money based on the state's growth in population and business is not going to be the cash cow some anticipated. Gov. Brian Sandoval's representatives recently told a legislative panel not to expect big increases from the budget's current revenue sources.

"About a month ago, when they had the first budget discussions, Mike Willden and other (Sandoval) cabinet members were at the hearing, which was open to the public," Whaley said. "They were saying, 'Don't get your hopes up that we are going to have a huge amount of new revenue. It is not going to grow like you might have hoped and we do have demands like Medicaid, other programs like that and expanded educational opportunities that we are offering now.'

"So I'm not sure there is going to be a whole lot of extra money to play with," Whaley said.

Whaley also mentioned a lot of contenders to replace Sandoval as governor, who is term-limited in 2018.

For Republicans, U.S. Sen. Dean Heller and Nevada's 2nd U.S. House District Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, have said they could be interested in running for governor.

Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison is also considered to be a possible candidate. Some have also mentioned former Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki, although he has not publicly commented on it. Whaley also did not mention Krolicki Monday.

Democrats interested in the 2018 gubernatorial race could include Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak and former Attorney General Ross Miller, Whaley said.

Whaley noted that Miller, Nevada's former secretary of state who lost the attorney general's race in 2014, has not been a player in Nevada politics since his loss.

"I don't think his time has passed but the question is -- is he still interested, being out of politics for awhile?" Whaley said about Miller. "Maybe there is a personal reason he would opt out to do that. But I would think he would be a formidable candidate if he chooses to do so."

Miller was upset by the GOP's Adam Laxalt in the 2014 race for attorney general. Low Democratic voter turnout -- with no party-backed gubernatorial candidate to top the ticket -- helped the GOP win every constitutional office in Nevada.

"The 2014 election was pretty unusual by anyone's standard," Whaley said. "The Republican sweep was amazing. I don't know if we'll see that again in 2016 or 2018."

Miller is the son of Nevada's longest-serving governor, Bob Miller. The elder Miller was governor from 1989 to 1999. His term was stretched since he first was the lieutenant governor who finished the term of Gov. Richard Bryan, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988.

Sisolak needs to mend political fences before he runs for governor, Whaley said.

"If he (Sisolak) does (run), he's got challenges as well," Whaley said. "He has had difficulties with some of his own labor people. He's been a bit outspoken although he seems to have mended some of those fences. But on the Democratic side with his voter base there, he might have a little work to do do convince everybody that he is the guy."