EDITORIAL: The Nevada Legislature adjourns in typical fashion

Nevada’s 83rd legislative session ended in typical fashion: amid a hugger-mugger of last-second gamesmanship.

A wise man once said, “Laws are like sausages. Better not to see them being made.” Couple that with Mark Twain’s famous line that “no man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session,” and you have an apt summary of how business is conducted every two years in Carson City. This year was no different.

As the deadline for adjournment drew near late Monday, lawmakers tried to salvage dying bills and ram through proposals with minimal scrutiny. That left some of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo’s legislative priorities — including his crime and health care bill — in the circular file, alongside the high-profile effort by majority Democrats to gift billions in film tax subsidies to Hollywood moguls.

Lawmakers did, however, succeed in passing the budget bills required by law. That means there’s no need for a special session, which have become far common in recent years.

Democrats blamed minority Republicans for gumming up the works in the late hours over a last-minute proposal regarding the composition of the Legislative Commission, which consists of 12 lawmakers — six from each party — and supervises the Legislative Counsel Bureau, which offers legal advice to the Legislature. State Sen. Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, and other Republicans protested the proposed changes, running out the clock instead of potentially passing other pending measures.

“Certainly, taking a lot of time to do antics on the floor makes it tough to get business done, for sure,” Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, said after sine die.

But that’s nonsense. Democrats have healthy majorities in both the Assembly and Senate and control the flow of legislation. They could have offered their self-serving proposal on the commission weeks or months ago rather than dropping it on GOP lawmakers as the last seconds ticked by. Senate Minority Leader Robin Titus, R-Wellington, said she didn’t get the resolution until 30 minutes before a scheduled vote. Democrats then manipulated the rules to cut off debate.

That’s on the Democratic leadership, not the GOP.

In fact, the late chaos was predictable and routine. Lawmakers by law are limited to one 120-day regular session every two years. But rather than use the time wisely, they typically dither and delay for weeks until pushed up against the adjournment deadline when there is precious little time for reasoned discussion.

Proponents of a full-time Legislature typically use the late meltdown to argue for longer or even year-round sessions. That would only prolong the dysfunction. What was that about “life, liberty or property” again?