Roberson named Nevada Senate majority leader

CARSON CITY — The new Nevada Senate Republican majority wasted no time in making their leadership decisions for the 2015 legislative session, naming Sen. Michael Roberson of Las Vegas the majority leader after a meeting Wednesday.

The appointments will be formalized on the first day of the session, but with Republicans taking an 11-10 majority in the 21-member Senate on Tuesday, the GOP is now in control of the Senate.

“It’s truly an honor to be elected to this position by my Republican colleagues, and I believe we have a strong leadership team in place as we head into the 2015 Legislative session, which is going to be critical to the future of Nevada,” Roberson said.

“I’m very proud of the makeup of our caucus following yesterday’s election, and I’m confident our members’ diverse experience and knowledge base positions us well to work with the governor and our Democratic colleagues as we move Nevada forward.”

Also elected into leadership positions are Ben Kieckhefer of Reno as assistant leader; James Settelmeyer of Minden and Scott Hammond of Las Vegas as co-whips; and Joe Hardy of Boulder City as its nominee for president pro tempore of the Senate.

The Senate Republican Caucus also announced the following committee chair positions for the 2015 Legislative Session. They are all Republicans:

• Revenue & Economic Development: Roberson

• Finance: Kieckhefer

• Commerce, Labor and Energy: Settelmeyer

• Health and Human Services: Hardy

• Judiciary: Greg Brower of Reno

• Transportation: Hammond

• Government Affairs: Pete Goicoechea of Eureka

• Natural Resources: Don Gustavson of Sparks

• Education: Becky Harris of Las Vegas

• Legislative Operations and Elections: Patricia Farley of Las Vegas

Harris and Farley are new GOP members of the Senate, having won election Tuesday.

With the election of Sen. Mark Hutchison, R-Las Vegas, as lieutenant governor, the Clark County Commission will now have to pick a replacement for the remainder of his term. The commission will have to pick a Republican to fill the vacancy.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801.