EDITORIAL: Sandoval agenda

As Gov. Brian Sandoval prepares for his final legislative session, he’s playing it close to the vest. The Review-Journal’s Sandra Chereb reports that the two-term Republican is keeping details of his “agenda and two-year budget proposal secret until he delivers his last State of the State address on Jan. 17.”

Clearly, the governor faces a more complex dynamic when lawmakers reconvene in February. Democrats regained control of both the Assembly and state Senate during the November election, creating challenges for a GOP chief executive. But Gov. Sandoval remains highly popular, perhaps giving him an upper hand in his relationship with the new majority leadership.

As such, the governor should use his deep well of political capital during the upcoming session to ensure Nevada maintains the business and regulatory climate necessary to encourage job creation and foster the entrepreneurial spirit that greases the state’s economic engines. In addition, he must unapologetically defend the education initiatives advanced during the 2015 session but which now may be in danger with Democrats running the show.

In particular, Gov. Sandoval should make it a priority to revive the Education Savings Account program, passed two years ago to create one of the most ambitious school choice plans in the country. The measure — which allows parents to divert a portion of the state’s per-pupil funding to cover private school tuition, tutoring or other education-related expenses — has been on hold pending legal challenges that culminated in a September state Supreme Court ruling endorsing the constitutionality of the concept, but striking down the financing mechanism.

A fix would require legislative action and a plenty of arm twisting by the governor, particularly given the Democratic majorities. But the Clark County teachers union has indicated a willingness to compromise on the issue, providing a large opening for Gov. Sandoval.

Look, too, for Democrats to try to undo legislation allowing the state to convert a few failing Clark County schools into charters. The worthy experiment — which creates a small “Achievement School District” — is intended to provide hope to families whose children are assigned to campuses that have consistently failed to adequately instill basic skills in their charges. Gov. Sandoval should make clear he will veto any measure coddling the indefensible status quo by killing the Achievement District.

On the economy, a gubernatorial priority should be to reduce the state’s many occupational licensing and regulatory barriers that serve to limit competition and protect entrenched interests at the expense of those simply trying to earn an honest living. There’s little justification for requiring more and more workers — including hair braiders, landscapers or interior decorators — to seek permission from government bureaucrats in order to ply their trades.

Reform in this area has the potential to generate support from legislative Democrats eager to create more opportunity for low-income Nevadans.

On a related matter, the governor’s office has requested legislation that would recognize the credentials of some workers issued by other states. Such reciprocity should make it easier for the state to attract skilled professionals in an array of fields, particularly health care. It deserves support.

Gov. Sandoval has spent his first six years in office emphasizing job creation and the expansion of educational opportunities for Nevada’s families. His challenge come February in Carson City will be to continue to advance those priorities while preserving the progress achieved during the 2015 session.