Nevada Lawmakers Approve Bigger 'rainy Day' Fund

Assembly Minority Leader Heidi Gansert, R-Reno, also supported the bill, saying, "I think we all agree that we need to save more money. While we don't agree on the budget all the time, we do agree that we haven't put enough into the account for hard times like these."

Buckley listed the state's dismal rankings, noting that Nevada ranks 47th in the nation in per pupil spending in K-12 education, 49th in per-capita state and local spending for higher education, and 46th in the nation in the number of physicians per 100,000 people.

"It makes no sense to build programs in good times, only to destroy them when times are bad, if you still need the services," Buckley said. "And we do this every 10 years."