Democrats look to pot, local sales tax for additional education money
Democrats on Tuesday announced two pieces of legislation meant to bring additional money to the state’s education system.
The first piece of legislation, SB 545, would divert money from the existing 10 percent excise tax on retail marijuana sales from the Rainy Day Fund to the Distributive Schools Account. That would bring an additional $120 million to the state’s education system during the upcoming two-year budget cycle.
The second piece of legislation, an amendment to AB 309, would allow counties to raise their sales tax by a quarter-cent to support education. The Nevada Independent previewed the expected amendment, which was scheduled to be introduced by Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson during an Assembly Ways and Means committee hearing Tuesday night.
Frierson described the marijuana funding bill as a righting of wrongs made during the 2017 Legislative Session. Many Nevadans have said they feel deceived by the state’s handling of marijuana tax money, saying they voted in favor of recreational sales because they believed it would fund education.
Read more: https://www.nevadacurrent.com/2019/05/14/democrats-look-to-pot-local-sales-tax-for-additional-education-money/