Three minor victories this week:  HB2320 (loan originator licensing) passed out of the House; HB2321 (Bullhead City as water provider) passed out of the Natural Resources committee in the Senate 7-0; and HB2698 (Oatman public restrooms) was passed by the Senate Finance committee 5-3!  It took a lot of talking to convince two members who had aleady decided to vote against the bill, but it was worth the effort.  It has also been assigned to the Government committee, whose chairman told me he would hear it, but not until the following week.  This is really important for the residents in Oatman (and the tourists who visit), so I'm just glad I could keep it going for them.

I had a busy Friday after returning home to Bullhead City as I attended a meeting with contractors and City officials regarding the city's ordinance pertaining to construction debris and its removal.  Some people felt it was too stringent and persuaded Sen. Ron Gould to sponsor a bill that would restrict any city under 100,000 population from enacting any ordinance pertaining to construction debris.  Naturally the City was opposed to this and has been trying to work out a compromise.  I had to leave the meeting early, but I understand that agreement was reached on revisions to the ordinance.  I certainly hope so, as this is an area that I don't believe the State has any business interfering in.

I left early to attend the organizational meeting of the Golden Valley Republican Club and was pleased to join them as a Charter Member.  I spoke to them about the importance of local clubs, especially in the area of mentoring young people who might eventually run for public office, and how they can work with the County and State party.  I also put in a pitch for them to become Precinct Committeemen -- we are woefully under-represented in District 2.  The group was enthusiastic, and I hope they continue to expand their club.

Saturday I was honored to attend a "welcome home" for two Marines returning from Iraq at VFW Post 10005.  There was many a wet eye as people expressed their thanks and relief that these two had returned safely.  Many in the crowd were Viet Nam vets who have vowed that returning soldiers would never receive the treatment that many of them experienced on their return.  I am proud to stand with them.

Not much was done on the budget last week, as all attention was focused on an employer sanctions bill.  (See the "Issues and Answers" section for more details.)  We did finally pass out HB2779 on Thursday evening, so I hope we can return to the business of crafting a reasonable budget for the coming fiscal year.


Until next week,

Nancy McLain