Nevada voters approve special session question

CARSON CITY - Reversing their vote from six years ago, Nevadans on Tuesday were decisively approving a change in the state constitution to allow the Legislature to call itself into special session.

"The voters got it right," said former Assemblyman Harry Mortenson, a Democrat from Las Vegas, who pushed to put the measure back on the ballot.

The question may have sounded familiar to voters, who rejected it in 2006. Until now, only the governor could call sessions outside of the 120-day regular sessions every other year.

Question 1 allows legislators to go into special sessions of no more than 20 days at the written request of at least two-thirds of each house. Nevada joins 35 states that allow legislators to convene a special session without a call from the governor.

Mortenson had sought the constitutional amendment to prevent cases where a rogue governor could avoid impeachment until the next regular session, as long as 20 months away.

He had pointed out that former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached 114-1 in a special session of that state's Legislature for trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated in 2009 by Barack Obama's election as president.

Mortenson also had argued that the legislative branch would be "sub­servient to the executive branch," rather than a co-equal branch of government.

"What governor is going to have himself impeached?" Mortenson asked.

State Sen. James Settelmeyer and Republican legislators contended allowing the Legislature to call special sessions would give legislators opportunities to raise taxes.

But because of the requirement that two-thirds of the Assembly and state Senate would be needed to call a special session, chances of ramming a tax through would be difficult.

Neither party has controlled both houses by at least a two-thirds majority since 1977. Tax increases require that supermajority.

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