The story can be heard here.

It seems that, in Nevada, to pass the budget, one needs only a simple majority, but to pass tax increases, one must have a supermajority. That, coupled with the state constitutional requirement that forbids deficit spending, has allowed a small group of legislators (15 Republicans in the State Assembly) to keep the budget in limbo since July 1, the deadline for deciding how to fund the budget that passed both houses and was signed by the Governor.

The Governor, a Republican, sued the Legislature. Hence the State Supreme Court ruling. The state can't hire anybody to do anything. They normally hire between 1500 and 2000 teachers a year in Las Vegas. Until they have income, they can't move to do this.

The Minority Leader of the State Senate, Democrat Dina Titus, expressed grave concern about this, because Nevada's legislature is not all that powerful to begin with. This won't help, she says. It will undercut the authority of the Legislature if the Governor can go to the Supreme Court to force the Legislature to do what the Governor wants.

The 15 Republicans refused to deal until the Court ruled. They had already, at the time of NPR's report, filed a countersuit against the Governor, on the grounds that the budget was unconstitutional because it was passed with the knowledge that the existing tax structure couldn't support it in a move to force the Legislature to raise state taxes, and so is a deficit budget. We'll see what happens now.

Regards--
Mary Anne