Barbano back on statewide Nevada Newsmakers TV/radio program —> Almost the entire Feb. 27 show concerned the teachers' tax petition. The Barbwire in the Feb. 28 Sparks Tribune will have a major impact on it both legislatively and electorally. Turn on, tune in and tell a friend.

Year-end items from Sen. Neal

Finding the fuel for state mass transit (CARSON CITY) — Nevada lawmakers are starting to look at innovative technology to improve the state's mass transit systems, but they need to find a way to fund such ambitious projects first.

The legislative committtee created to conduct a study of the state's long-range mass transit needs met for the first time last week. Chaired by Sen. Joseph Neal, D-Clark County, the committee will meet four more times before filing up to five bill draft requests for the next legislative session in 2005. Its goal is to find ways to relieve congested city streets in Las Vegas and Reno as well as the crowded airspace between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and to help revitalize the state's rural counties by providing greater access into and out of those areas.

"We're trying to get at what can be done to save dying corridors," said Neal, referring to the state's rural areas. "We could open up these areas to development and new businesses and spread out the population of Las Vegas and Reno...We might stumble upon the money," he said. "We need new thinking in terms of the whole state. We're getting a breakthrough here. Who knows what will happen?" (Northern Nevada Business Weekly, 12-8-2003)

LAS VEGAS SUN (12-3-2003) — Neal committee considers links to rural Nevada

Neal criticizes closure of City of Las Vegas Neighborhood Preservation Office in West Las Vegas Ward 5 — Sen. Joe Neal, D- North Las Vegas, who said he tried to contact (Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence) Weekly...to see whether the office could be kept open, doubts the savings will be significant. "They're still going to be paying the salaries," he said. "They're kind of missing the point. That's the most contact anybody's going to have with City Hall in this part of town." (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 9-5-2003)

Sen. Neal's fight for cable TV ratepayers

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2003 at 01:35:24 PDT

CABLE UPDATE — Sen. Neal's attempts to give municipalities more control over cable television (and pressure Cox Cable for public access in southern Nevada) were defeated by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on April 9 and 11. The committee instead passed an industry-written bill (SB 429) further eroding public oversight of the cable industry's deregulated monopoly. Sen. Neal was the only committee member casting a pro-consumer "no" vote. Read more about these issues by clicking here.
[[2006 UPDATE PROVING SEN. NEAL'S POSITION CORRECT.]]

Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2003 at 02:45:16 PDT

Dear Cable Ratepayers and Supporters of Sen. Neal:

The cable industry has spitefully responded to Sen. Neal's cable bill, SB 278 (see the next item, below), with a measure which would do exactly the reverse. SB 429 will be heard by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on Wednesday morning, April 9. Another piece of special interest legislation, SB 492, will be heard this afternoon in the Senate Taxation Committee. SB 492 proposes to add a 5 percent tax on satellite and closed-circuit (e.g., Quadravision) broadcasts. Please contact the members of the two committees. Their addresses and phone numbers appear in the following two posts on this bulletin board. Thank you.

Date: Friday, March 21, 2003 at 03:11:32

Dear Cable Ratepayers:

Friday morning, March 21, the state senate committee on commerce and labor will deliberate on SB 278, Sen. Joe Neal's bill to allow cities and counties to provide cable TV service.

It's especially important to northern Nevada since Charter Cable is close to bankruptcy. Ratepayers, through their governments, need to be able to step in if service degrades or is in jeopardy of evaporating.

The existing law barring all but small Nevada communities from providing cable service was pushed through by Cox Cable of Las Vegas in 1997, just in time for their 1998 franchise renewal negotiations.

Reno and Washoe County are in the middle of franchise renegotiation and need this fallback tool. The City of Sparks franchise will be up for renewal soon.

In 1998, Clark County got stuck with a 25-year franchise deal and NO public access channels. Reno-Sparks-Carson-Tahoe have sparklingly good public, educational and governmental access. The City of Reno's cable consultant recommends a new franchise of 5 to 8 years for Charter to help make them clean up their act.

Help us turn these deregulated monopolies around. The Reno City Council has endorsed the bill. Let the senators know how you feel. Watch http://www.decidingfactors.tv for updates.

Thank you.

Be well. Raise hell.

Andrew Barbano, Webmaster

Nevada State Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, Chair
Sen. Warren Hardy, R-Las Vegas, Vice-Chair
Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas
Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas
Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas
Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas
Sen. Ray Shaffer, R-North Las Vegas

You may contact them individually through the individual hot links, above, or look below and highlight, copy, paste and send all the members at once. Here's the list:
<rtownsend@sen.state.nv.us>,
<whardy@sen.state.nv.us>,
<mcarlton@sen.state.nv.us>,
<jneal@sen.state.nv.us>,
<aoconnell@sen.state.nv.us>,
<mschneider@sen.state.nv.us>,
<rshaffer@sen.state.nv.us>,

You may also call, fax (775-684-6522) or e-mail. Ask your friends and neighbors to do the same. Legislative hotlines are 684-6800 from Reno-Sparks-Carson City, 486-2626 from the Las Vegas area and toll-free 1-800-995-9080 statewide. Invest the time. It's your money.

Here is a link to the SB 278 text — Download .pdf file as introduced: <http://www.leg.state.nv.us/72nd/bills/SB/SB278.pdf>

html file as introduced: <http://www.leg.state.nv.us/72nd/bills/SB/SB278.html>
 
The committee meets in legislative room 2135 in Carson City. You may listen to the meeting live through the legislative website at < http://www.leg.state.nv.us> For audio broadcasts, click on the link "Listen to Live Meetings."

Interested parties in southern Nevada may observe the proceedings through a simultaneous videoconference in Room 4412 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, Las Vegas.

Watch <http://www.decidingfactors.tv> for continuing updates on cable issues.

CARSON CITY (Feb. 16) --- NEAL GAMING TAX BILL HEARING THIS WEEK. This Thursday, Feb. 20, at 2:00 p.m., the State Senate Taxation Committee will hear Senate Bill 21, Sen. Neal's bill to increase Nevada's gross gaming tax (the lowest in the world) by four percentage points on the state's largest, most profitable casinos. Three of the seven committee members are from the northern and rural parts of the state: Sens. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno; and the chairman and vice-chairman, Mike McGinness, R-Fallon/central Nevada, and Dean Rhoads, R-rural northern Nevada.

Southern Nevada members of the taxation committee are Sens. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, and Neal.

Call, fax (775-684-6522) or e-mail (below) and ask them to make casinos pay a fair share. Ask your friends and neighbors to do the same. Legislative hotlines are 684-6800 from Reno-Sparks-Carson City, 486-2626 from the Las Vegas area and toll-free 1-800-995-9080 statewide. Invest the time. It's your money. Pass the word.

Senate Taxation Committee e-mail addresses:

mmcginness@sen.state.nv.us
drhoads@sen.state.nv.us
rtownsend@sen.state.nv.us
aoconnell@sen.state.nv.us
stiffany@sen.state.nv.us
bcoffin@sen.state.nv.us
jneal@sen.state.nv.us

[[EDITOR'S NOTE — The hearing was postponed on Feb 18. Watch the front page of this site or this bulletin board for the new date and time. Sign up for our mailing list and involve your friends and family members.]]

Republican incumbent Gov. Kenny Guinn defeated Sen. Neal by roughly 67 percent to 22 percent in the Nov. 5 election. As of the latest pre-election financial disclosures filed in the last week of October, Gov. Guinn had raised some $3.4 million to Sen. Neal's $24,396.05. Sen. Neal will continue his tenure as the senior Democrat in the Nevada Legislature's upper house. His eighth four-year term expires in 2004. He expresses his most sincere thanks to all those who have supported his work over the past four decades and especially the stormy weather friends who steadfastly stood by him in this year's campaign. He remains unbowed, unbought and unbossed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Northern Nevada: Bill Moon (775) 329-1900
Southern Nevada: Sen. Neal (702) 399-2114

WE'RE GONNA PARTY HEARTY, DEMOCRATIC PARTY OR NOT

RENO (Nov. 5) -- Northern Nevada friends and supporters of Sen. Joe Neal will gather to watch election returns at Jean's Barber Shop, 1405 Oliver Street, in Reno, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (or later) on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Food will be served.

Sen. Neal will monitor returns from his home in North Las Vegas, as he did two years ago when he was re-elected to a record-tying eighth four-year term in the Nevada State Senate.

IMAGINE WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

Had Sen. Neal not filled out the ticket against Gov. Dudley Do-Right, Nevada Democrats would have caused international embarrassment for both the party and the state (assuming that Nevada blushes at all anymore) by having nominated a former topless dancer to head the ticket.

Only Italy would have gone the red light state one better by virtue of electing porno film star Ilona "Cicciolina" Staller to the national parliament back in the mid-1980s.

Such freakin' gratitude.

Required reading if you would understand what's going to happen next:

Crystal Ball 2002 -- An election day pre-postmortem
Guinn vs. Reid 2004
http://www.nevadalabor.com/barbwire/barb02/barb11-3-02.html

Gov. Guinn: Nowhere Man as Likeable Ike and Silent Cal
To know Gov. Dudley Do-Right, read his psychological profile
http://www.nevadalabor.com/barbwire/barb02/barb7-7-02.html

And, bringing up the rear, as always -- Guinn Watch -- In his own phractured phrases, Gov. Dudley Do-Right continues his neverending quest to form a complete sentence.
http://www.nevadalabor.com/guinnwatch/kgwatch.html

That's entertainment!

Be well. Raise hell.

AB

DATE: SUNDAY, OCT. 27, 2002 at 01:14 PDT

NEAL SCHEDULES MAJOR POLICY ADDRESS

RENO — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Joe Neal will address a luncheon at the Reno Holiday Inn on Sixth Street this Tuesday, Oct. 29, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The 30-year state senator from North Las Vegas will considerably up the ante on Gov. Dudley Do-Right. Neal will speak on universal health care for all Nevadans so that no one will have to choose between medicine or food or heat. Seating is limited. Contact Bill and Jane Moon at (775) 329-1900 immediately if you want to attend. The cost is $20 per person. This is not a fund raiser. The price covers the cost of lunch. -->>Click on the arrow to read Sen. Neal's proposal.

Later on Tuesday, Sen. Neal will attend a candidate's open house sponsored by the Greater Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce, SBC/Nevada Bell and Wells-Fargo Bank. The event opens to SBC and WF employees at 4:30 p.m. and to the general public from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Siena Hotel-Casino in downtown Reno.

DATE: SUNDAY, AUG. 25, 2002 at 04:35 PDT

      SEN. NEAL VISITS DOUGLAS COUNTY

      Gardnerville -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Joe Neal will attend a candidates forum hosted by Douglas County Democrats on Sunday, 8-25-2002, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Overland Restaurant in Gardnerville.
Douglas County is both the wealthiest and most Republican of Nevada's 17 counties.

      See you there.

Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2002 at 16:25:07

The Red Rock Democratic Club cordially invites you, your family and friends to our monthly meeting; 6:30 set up and socialize; 7PM start. Ends 8:30PM Where? Rainbow Library ( off of Buffalo near Cheyenne) Meetings: All meetings unless otherwise are the 4th Wednesday of the month. Next meeting Wednesday June 26th Speaker: Gubernatorial candidates including Joe Neal Cost? Free and is open to all---If you need a ride or have questions please call Diane Hart at 656-3899. Bring munchies if you like. Please save the date for future meetings. Meetings take place on the 4th Wednesday of the month at the Rainbow Library (except November and December). Set up/ socialize at 6:30PM. Meetings start promptly at 7:00 p.m. and ends by 8:30. The Rainbow Library is located at the corner of Buffalo and Cheyenne; the entrance is on Buffalo.

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