Republican senator to boycott hearing, blames “failure by the Senate Democratic leadership”

Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas on Tuesday accused Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, of ignoring or giving short shrift to Republican bills in the Legislature.

Roberson detailed his complaint in a late afternoon email shortly after finding out Senate Bill 272 was scheduled for a hearing at 8 a.m. Wednesday before Horsford's Senate Finance Committee.

"This short notice allows little time for me to notify my witnesses and to ensure their attendance at the hearing," Roberson wrote in the email addressed to Horsford. "I find it implausible that you cannot manage your committee hearings to permit at least 48 hours notice to your colleagues in the minority party -- colleagues who were elected by the people of Nevada in the same manner that you were."

Roberson said the incident fits a broader pattern of little to no action on Republican bills in both chambers of the Legislature even as committees consider proposals to ban air fresheners and appoint a state-sponsored ombudsman for prisoners.

"Yet they can't hear important bills brought by the minority party," Roberson said of his own bill, which would eliminate so-called "base budgeting", which Republicans say results in higher-than-needed government spending.

In the email Roberson added: "This lack of courtesy on your part, follows a pattern -- observed by many of my Republican colleagues -- of failure by the Senate Democratic leadership to hold hearings on Republican bills."

Roberson said the notice of the hearing on SB272 wouldn't provide enough time to alert witnesses to testify so he doesn't plan to attend.

Neither Horsford nor his spokesman responded to requests seeking comment on Roberson's assertions.

It's the second time in two days an individual legislator accused a Democratic leader of playing political games. On Monday Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, accused Assembly Speaker John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, of seeking "self promotion" and "aggrandizement" for a potential Congressional campaign by consolidating several gun bills under his own name. Oceguera refuted the charge.

More broadly, the infighting comes as Democrats in the majority are growing more frustrated with Republicans for refusing to break away from Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval's plan to balance the budget without raising any taxes. Democrats are looking for ways to break through Sandoval's proposed $5.8 billion spending cap for 2011-13, but need a two-thirds majority vote to increase taxes.

That would require at least two Assembly and three Senate Republicans, presuming every Democrat is on board. So far Republicans have stuck behind Sandoval who has said repeatedly he isn't interested in cutting deals that would result in tax increases.