Five Nevada senators get top rating from Conservative Union

CARSON CITY -- Five Republican state senators -- Greg Brower, Don Gustavson, Elizabeth Halseth, Michael Roberson and James Settlemeyer -- were named Thursday as Defenders of Liberty by the American Conservative Union.

For the first time, the group, known for grading members of Congress, has begun grading state legislators on whether they made conservative votes on bills.

Legislators from five states were graded, and more will be rated in coming years.

The five Nevada senators made what the Conservative Union considered the right votes on 15 bills during the 2011 legislative session.

"We have an opportunity to foster the next generation of conservative leaders, and the best way to accomplish this is to reach into states that are on the front line of battle for the future of our great nation," said Al Cardenas, chairman of the Conservative Union.

Cardenas presented the ratings during a news conference in Las Vegas.

Only one legislator, Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce, D-Las Vegas, received a zero score from the organization.

Pierce, who made no apologies for introducing a series of bills to raise taxes, was dubbed a "True Liberal of the Silver State."

While Gov. Brian Sandoval was not rated, Cardenas in a statement called him a rising star of the conservative movement.

He said the Republican governor has "championed limited and pro-growth policies by vetoing several ill-conceived pieces of legislation passed by the Nevada Legislature."

Sandoval, however, backed the session's most controversial bill: Assembly Bill 561 that extended $620 million in taxes that otherwise would have expired on June 30.

Backing this bill was considered a wrong vote by the Conservative Union. Sandoval and most legislators, however, agreed to keep the taxes after the state Supreme Court ruled on May 26 that they could not grab local government and school district funds to balance the state budget.

Besides the Defenders of Liberty honorees, the Conservative Union praised eight other Republicans for scoring 80 percent or better grades on their votes.

They were Sens. Barbara Cegavske and Mike McGinness and Assembly members John Ellison, Ed Goedhart, John Hambrick, Ira Hansen, Richard McArthur and Mark Sherwood.

No Democrat received a score greater than 25 percent.

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