News release from the Governor’s Office
Governor Jim Gibbons today made the following statement:
“In 2006, the citizens of Nevada elected me Governor with the expectation that I would do my very best to run this state. I will not abdicate that responsibility. At this moment, no job is more important than using the available American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding to put Nevadans back to work and jump start the economy statewide.
“To accomplish that end, we need much more than someone to simply report our use of the ARRA funding. We need a Director to maximize our receipt of the available grants, to ensure all available funds are utilized and to facilitate the spending of the money for the benefit of Nevada. Last week, I submitted a work program to the Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee (IFC) detailing the need for a Director and the appropriate support for that position. The IFC created a convoluted reporting procedure. The IFC ignored the need to expand and implement our use of ARRA funds. These ARRA funds will benefit our working families and those who are out of work through no fault of their own.
“Given that the State of Nevada is bound by the very demanding and limiting deadlines required to comply with the ARRA legislation, today I am establishing, by Executive Order, the position of ARRA Director as I originally proposed and the Board of Examiners approved. By the authority vested in me by the State of Nevada Constitution and the federal ARRA legislation, I am directing Executive Branch agencies to accept and expend the ARRA funding pursuant to the legal requirements of the Act.
“I made it clear in earlier statements that I felt the actions of the Interim Finance Committee were inappropriate. I have decided that rather than wasting the taxpayer’s money by filing a legal challenge against the IFC, Nevadans will be better served by me taking immediate steps to get the whole job done right. I will leave it to the Nevada Legislature to determine if they wish to waste taxpayer dollars in an effort to usurp my Constitutional responsibilities. Doing so will cause needless delay in the distribution of federal stimulus funds to the Nevada citizens who need help now.
“In the meantime, I will continue to do what I must to implement the ARRA requirements. The Stimulus funds are here, now, and I will act quickly to infuse these dollars into our communities to create new jobs and help hardworking Nevada families weather this economic crisis. It is time to knock off the rhetoric and get down to the job of helping the people of the State of Nevada.”
Follow-up news release from the Governor’s Office
Governor Jim Gibbons today made the following additional statement:
“I am the Governor. I have a Constitutional duty to the citizens of Nevada as THE head of their Executive Branch of government.
“More than 2.2 billion dollars is available to help Nevada put our people back to work and to generate economic recovery for all of us. Less than half of that money is here now.
“Nevada must comply with the federal spending and reporting guidelines to receive the rest of the ARRA funds.
“Whether the Nevada Legislature or the State Controller like it, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act puts me, the elected Governor, in charge of this program.
“I’m done with partisan potshots. I’m putting federal stimulus funds into our communities. I’m investing in Nevadans starting today.”
Executive Order: http://gov.state.nv.us/PressReleases/2009/PDF/Exec_Order_ARRA.pdf
