Redistricting plan for regents, Board of Education has bipartisan support

CARSON CITY -- Republicans and Democrats said Tuesday that they can agree on a redistricting plan for members of the state's Board of Regents and Board of Education.

After a joint hearing on Assembly Bill 570, Assembly Legislative Operations and Elections Chairman Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, and Assembly Minority Leader Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, said the bill has bipartisan support.

The 13 members of the Board of Regents actually prepared and endorsed the proposed new boundaries of their districts to reflect population changes shown by the 2010 Census.

Democrats drew the new boundaries for the 10 Board of Education districts, but Segerblom said they largely kept intact the existing districts.

Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Keith Rheault said state Board of Education members did not vote on the new maps. Their goal, he said, was to keep all incumbents in their existing districts.

Segerblom said a vote may be conducted Thursday to push AB570 to the Assembly floor. "These are pretty noncontroversial," he said.

The agreement on districts for the regents and Board of Education members is a sharp contrast to AB566, the Democrat-passed bill that creates new districts for legislators and Congress. Gov. Brian Sandoval vetoed that bill, claiming it diluted the voting power of Hispanics, even though all 10 Hispanic lawmakers voted for the bill.

The Assembly then passed a slightly revised version of the bill over Republican opposition.

Goicoechea said legislative leaders are trying to work on a compromise, using portions of both Democratic and Republican maps that could win bipartisan approval.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.