Top 10 players at Nevada Legislature

Gov. Brian Sandoval

Gov. Brian Sandoval, who cruised to a second term in November and pulled a wave of Republicans into office, has proposed a $1.1 billion tax package and ambitious education reforms. The cornerstone of his tax measure is changing the state’s annual business license fee from a flat $200 to one based on gross receipts. It will take all his statesmanship and political savvy to mend rifts within his own party, especially in the Assembly where a contingent of conservatives could block the two-thirds vote needed to pass his agenda. Sandoval will also have to negotiate with Democrats, whom he needs on his side to prevail on taxes, on such things as collective bargaining and school choice.

Dale Erquiaga

Dale Erquiaga, Nevada superintendent of public instruction, will be the point man for pressing Gov. Brian Sandoval’s ambitious education budget and sweeping reforms. It’s a familiar role for Erquiaga, a childhood friend of the governor and longtime confidant. Sandoval is proposing the bulk of his $1.1 billion tax package be earmarked for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education, including expansion of full-day kindergarten, more pre-kindergarten programs, increased money for gifted and talented students, and possible takeover by the state of persistently failing schools. He also called for collective bargaining reforms and increased focus on charter schools and school choice.

Michael Roberson

Michael Roberson was elected to the Nevada Senate as an anti-tax conservative in 2010. Two years later and midway through his first term, the Henderson Republican was elected minority leader of the upper chamber by his peers. Roberson, who has drifted to moderate, is Sandoval’s chief lieutenant in the Senate and will have even greater power as majority leader in 2015 after the GOP regained control of the upper house in the November election. As chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee, he pledged to consider any and all tax proposals and challenged critics of Sandoval’s plan to come up with a better idea to fund education.

Aaron Ford

Senate Minority Leader Aaron Ford will be the guardian of Democratic priorities in the upper chamber. The Las Vegas resident is in his second session and will play a key role during discussions on taxes, education reforms and collective bargaining. Gov. Brian Sandoval’s tax package requires a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and Assembly to pass, meaning he will need support from both parties to enact his agenda.

Marilyn Kirkpatrick

Assembly Minority Leader Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-North Las Vegas, has never been in the minority party during her tenure in the Legislature. But it’s a perspective she accepts and makes her no less relevant in tax battles sure to come in the session. A respected wizard at understanding Nevada tax policy and ramifications, she will be key in negotiating with legislative Republicans and Gov. Brian Sandoval over his proposed $1.1 billion tax package while trying to protect Democratic priorities such as collective bargaining.

John Hambrick

Assembly Speaker-designate John Hambrick is expected to be elected Monday to lead the 42-member lower house. The Las Vegas Republican who signed a no-tax pledge will play a key role in shuffling Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed tax package and education reforms through the Republican-controlled Assembly, where a deep divide between conservatives and moderates could derail the governor’s agenda. Hambrick is vice chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and will also serve on the Taxation and Health and Human Services committees.

Michele Fiore

A feisty, gun-loving legislative sophomore, Assemblywoman Michele Fiore was thrust into the spotlight when she was removed as majority leader and chairwoman of the Assembly Taxation Committee in a GOP dust-up amid revelations of tax liens against her. A vocal critic of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s tax plan, Fiore, R-Las Vegas, has said she is trying to line up votes to kill it. Fiore is a strong supporter of gun rights and has advocated for concealed weapons on college campuses. She will serve on the Assembly Labor and Commerce; Judiciary; Transportation; and Legislative Operations and Elections committees.

Ruben Murillo Jr.

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s plans to improve Nevada’s public education system have drawn praise from business and community leaders, including the head of the state teachers union. But Ruben Murillo Jr., president of the Nevada State Education Association, has concerns about some proposals that include collective bargaining reforms, which could affect tens of thousands of teachers. Sandoval also proposed abolishing elected school boards in favor of appointed bodies and giving local governments authority to break up the Clark County School District into smaller entities. The NSEA has 28,000 members statewide. Murillo, former president of the Clark County Education Association, took the helm of the state group in 2013.

Virginia Valentine

Virginia Valentine is the public face of the Nevada Resort Association. The powerful lobbying group for the state’s largest hotel-casinos is a key player in any discussions over tax policy, which will dominate the 2015 session. A frequent target when state coffers run dry, the casino industry has long advocated for a more broad-based tax structure to mitigate downturns in the economy. It remains to be seen whether the industry will back Gov. Brian Sandoval’s plan to restructure Nevada’s business license fees. Valentine is former manager of both Clark County and the city of Las Vegas.

Mary Lau

Mary Lau has been the voice of Nevada’s retail industry for nearly three decades. As president of the Retail Association of Nevada, she is influential in guiding tax policy and legislation that affects the state’s second largest sector employing more than 135,000 and the business community as a whole. Lau will play an integral role in the discussions when lawmakers debate Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed $1.1 billion tax package that includes revamping the state’s business license fee based on gross receipts, a policy the association has historically opposed.