Courtesy reigns in Nevada Legislature

CARSON CITY -- Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons faced a hostile Democratic-dominated Legislature last January when he delivered his State of the State address in the Assembly chambers.

Before the speech, reporters were predicting he would be booed.

Democrats were angry over his plan to cut wages of state employees and teachers. And lobbyists for the teachers and public employees unions as well as many state employees were spectators in the gallery. They were furious over Gibbons' objectives for 2009.

What happened?

Gibbons received polite applause. No one shouted, or booed.

Nevada has not had a Joe Wilson incident in at least the past 30 years. Wilson is the South Carolina congressman who shouted "You lie" during President Barack Obama's Wednesday address to Congress on health care.

"I think we have a level of civility in our state," said Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas. "When you walk into the chambers, it is kind of like walking into church. You show respect."

His Republican counterpart, Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, of Reno, agreed.

"It is very important to be respectful with each other," she said. "The reason we can work together is we are respectful."

Depending on who the governor is, Gansert said Friday, they receive either "rousing applause or very quiet applause."

As far as veteran legislative observers can recall, no legislator ever has shouted anything during a State of the State address or during any of the daily floor sessions held in the Senate and Assembly chambers.

A man who once shouted from the gallery during a Senate floor session about 10 years ago was quickly rounded up by legislative police and escorted from the building. He was not arrested.

As part of field trips, elementary school students regularly sit in the galleries and they generally have been quiet, speaking only if addressed by legislators.

Though metal detectors were purchased several years ago, they were never put in place at the front door of the Legislative Building. Anyone may wander off the street and attend any hearing or vote.

The doors remained open last spring during a "Tea Party" protest that attracted 2,000 people. Some police said it was the largest protest ever at the Legislature.

"We rely on cameras and experienced officers" to monitor the Legislative building, said Lorne Malkiewich, administrator of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

Most legislative police officers are retired veterans from large police departments.

So far, it's been decided that the right of easy public access to legislators outweighs the need for heightened security. Malkiewich noted legislators walk in and out of the building all day anyway.

"This is a public forum," Malkiewich said about the Legislative Building, located next to the state Capitol.

Daniel Burns, Gibbons' communications director, pointed out Gibbons has indeed been the target of frequent name calling by lawmakers.

But that has occurred at news conferences or in news releases, not during speeches.

Burns said legislators should show respect for the office of the governor, and they are polite during the State of the State addresses.

"What (Wilson) did wasn't uncivil, it was impolite," Burns said. "He didn't show proper respect for the venue. The First Amendment gives people the right to say anything, but there are times to be courteous."

If any legislator shouted during a governor's speech, Oceguera, who probably will become be speaker in 2011, isn't sure what would be done.

Lawmakers are expected to know how to behave, he added.

"It is very simple, use basic common sense," he said. "You are supposed to be courteous."

Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.