Without the additional seats, Rhoads said he could end up in a district that stretched from Pahrump to Jackpot, on the Idaho border. The measure will be considered by the Senate Government Affairs Committee. No hearing date has been set. Preserving seats is a major issue for northern and rural lawmakers. Because of Southern Nevada's huge population growth, some of those existing seats could be lost without expanding the size of the Legislature to compensate for the shift.
Political districts have to be about equal in size.
Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said she is opposed to the expansion. The public has said the Legislature should do its business in less time and spend less money, so I don't think they're going to be too keen on increasing the size that will cost more money. Bigger districts are of most concern to rural lawmakers like Rhoads, whose Northern Nevada Senatorial District stretches 313 miles from Jackpot in Elko County to Lovelock in Pershing County. The issue of the size of the Legislature must be resolved before the process of drawing new political boundaries can begin.