Nevada assemblyman: Democratic-led Legislature will cost businesses

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — Assemblyman Jim Wheeler, R-Gardnerville, is warning Carson Valley businesspeople that the new Democratic majority in the Legislature is going to cost them money.

“We are seeing a lot of things that will affect business already,” Wheeler said Jan. 17. “We'll be looking out for things like an energy policy that may include a carbon tax, or strives for 100-percent renewables by 2030.”

He said either of those initiatives will increase the cost of doing business in Nevada.

“When that happens, your costs are going to go up,” he said. “There's a policy to raise the minimum wage to $15. All these are going to affect you and they are going to reach into your pocketbook.”

Wheeler said Republicans would fight against the changes, but that there aren't that many of them.

“We're going to fight these things as much as we can, but remember we are in a super minority in the Assembly and one vote short of a super minority in the senate,” he said.

It's also the first time in 20 years that Nevada has had a Democratic governor and the first time in history there is a majority of women in the Legislature, which he said was good news.

“I hate to admit it but women have more common sense than us guys,” he said. “Let's hope some common sense comes through.”

He said a bill regarding the background check initiative for transfer of weapons is probably going to be addressed by the Legislature.

He said there's a bill to ban the sale of “assault weapons.”

“They still haven't figured out what an assault weapon is yet because no one can define it on that side of the aisle.”

Likely targets are weapons like AR-15s and high-capacity magazines, though he said that definition is also up in the air.

The Nevada Legislature opens on Feb. 4.