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Legislative Session Nearing End . . . Hopefully
Governor Gibbons Turns His Back
on Public Education
Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons does not have his
priorities straight as he is protecting legislation that would keep his
"friends" happy.
Despite his "Education First" initiative turned
mandate, the education budget is far from closed. He has threatened to veto the
budget if his areas of concern - which do not include education -
are not addressed.
If the education budget does not close and a
special session is called, we could be facing the same scenario we did
in the 2003 Legislative Session where some schools were not able to
open on time. This could
cause a lot of problems for everyone, especially students, teachers,
and support professionals.
Contact the Governor today and tell
him you are outraged by his lack of commitment to public
education. Tell him he was
dishonest by selling his "Education First" initiative as a tool
to prevent the education budget to be held hostage. That's exactly what he is
causing by threatening to veto the budget. He must support the education
budget with salary increases that includes PERS. Urge him to close the budget and
make good on his promise to fund "Education First!"
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Immediate Action Required
Members of the NSEA Lobby Team urge all members to
contact your legislators and urge them to support the Tax Abatement Bill-AB 621.
Tell them:
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Passage of this bill will give our schools hundreds of millions
of dollars that will otherwise have to be paid for by the general fund.
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We need the money that should be coming to our schools from the
gaming industry.
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Relying on the general fund to make up for lost revenue is not
financially sound.
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Please support AB 621 - we're counting on you!!!
SB 544 - Retiree Health Insurance
At the present time,
educators who choose PEBP (the state health insurance) receive a premium
subsidy when they retire that makes the cost of retiree health insurance
lower. SB 544, currently in the Senate Finance Committee, removes the
option for school district retirees to join PEBP with an effective date
of July 1, 2007.
Ask your legislator to
change the effective date to October 1, 2009. The change in the
effective date is needed for the following reasons:
- When educators retire, their
retirement becomes effective at the beginning of the new school
year, not the end of the old one. A July effective date is not
practical or helpful for public school employees.
- Extending the effective date by two
years will give educators time to properly plan for
retirement.
Contact members
of the Senate Finance Committee in
addition to your legislator.
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