SB111 Testimony (Ending Fund Balance)

Testimony in Opposition re: Senate Bill 111 – Senate Government Affairs Committee

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

6:30pm

My name is Daniel Honchariw. I represent the Nevada Policy Research Institute as its senior policy analyst and registered lobbyist.

NPRI opposes SB111. By exempting 25 percent of the ending-fund balance from collective bargaining negotiations, existing law helps protect local governments from economic downturns. As the Great Recession of 2008 demonstrated, Nevada’s service-heavy industry leaves us exceptionally exposed to revenue loss from recessions.

By allowing only 16.7 percent of ending-fund balance to be exempt from the collective-bargaining process, SB111 would greatly jeopardize the fiscal solvency of local governments, and increase the chances that an economic downturn will lead to dramatic cuts in public services or higher taxes, precisely at a time when Nevadans can least afford it.

This committee should oppose SB111 in its entirety.