Lawmakers get high marks for work on business climate

An economic development publication gives high marks to Nevada's Legislature for creating an atmosphere that's attractive to relocating businesses.

But a former legislator who represents economic development interests says that business people can't assume that the Legislature will continue on its current path unless they stay involved with the creation of public policy.

Expansion Management magazine's current issue ranks Nevada second only to Texas in its grades of lawmakers' positive effects on the state business climate.

"For companies evaluating locations for future business operations, how a state legislature 'minds the store' is an extremely important site location factor,"wrote the magazine's chief editor, Bill King."That's because the process is really just a comparison of various alternative locations to determine which would be the most advantageous for the future health and success of that business."

And that means that it's important for businesspeople to stay engaged with the legislative process, said Jason Geddes,manager of government affairs for the Economic Development Authority ofWestern Nevada.

"It's very important for business to be active so that legislators know what the issues are," said Geddes,who previously served in the State

Assembly.

The involvement of businesspeople in the process is particularly important, Geddes said, because Nevada's part-time lawmakers spend much of their time away from the capitol and away from public-policy concerns.

At the same time, he said, lawmakers of both parties give business interests a fair hearing in Nevada.

"The legislators here are very open and receptive,"Geddes said.

Expansion Management, which is read mostly by executives of small and mid-sized companies, looked at six factors in its rating of legislators' effectiveness:

* The tax bite, including tax revenue per capita and the percentage of total tax revenues that come from corporate and individual income taxes.Nevada, which doesn't levy corporate or personal income taxes, ranked second in this category.

* The state's debt load, including factors such as the percentage of its revenues used to pay down debt and the total debt per capita.

* Five-year trends on taxes and spending.

Nevada ranked first in this category.

* Spending on state administration.

The magazine measured spending on a per-capita basis as well as by a percentage of the total budget.

* Right-to-work legislation, which doesn't allow membership in a union to be a condition for employment.

Economic development groups were moving quickly last week to spread the word about Expansion Management's good grades for the state.

"The business climate of our state has a direct result on the successes of the businesses within our state," said Somer Hollingsworth, president and chief executive officer of Nevada Development Authority.

His Las Vegas-based group launched a public relations blitz shortly after the magazine announced the rankings.