January 12, 2024
The 2024 Election Cycle activity is picking up and the holiday season is officially over as state and local government are back to work in earnest this week. Highlights from this week include the announcement of legislative appointments to the Joint Interim Committees and some scheduled meetings (see below), a possible strike from the Culinary Union before the Superbowl, significant initiative petitions filed to address pay day lending and teachers’ ability to strike, and plenty of election news including a new endorsement by the Assembly Democratic Caucus for Assembly District 17.
Joint Legislative Interim Committee Appointments
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Commerce and Labor
- Senator Pat Spearman, Chair
- Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola, Vice Chair
- Senator Roberta Lange
- Senator Jeff Stone
- Assemblywoman Shea Backus
- Assemblywoman Heidi Kasama
- Assemblyman Philip P.K. O’Neill
- Assemblywoman Selena Torres
- Meetings
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education
- Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod, Chair
- Senator Roberta Lange, Vice Chair
- Senator Carrie A. Buck
- Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop
- Assemblywoman Natha C. Anderson
- Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva
- Assemblywoman Alexis Hansen
- Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy
- Meetings**No meetings scheduled yet
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Government Affairs
- Assemblywoman Selena Torres, Chair
- Senator Edgar Flores, Vice Chair
- Senator Skip Daly
- Senator Ira Hansen
- Assemblyman Max Carter
- Assemblyman Reuben D’Silva
- Assemblyman Gregory Koenig
- Assemblyman Richard McArthur
- Meetings
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Growth and Infrastructure
- Senator Dallas Harris, Chair
- Assemblyman Howard Watts, Vice Chair
- Senator Carrie A. Buck
- Senator Skip Daly
- Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May
- Assemblyman Max Carter
- Assemblywoman Jill Dickman
- Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant
- Meetings
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Health and Human Services
- Senator Fabian Doñate, Chair
- Assemblyman David Orentlicher, Vice Chair
- Senator Rochelle T. Nguyen
- Senator Robin L. Titus
- Assemblywoman Tracy Brown-May
- Assemblyman Ken Gray
- Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts
- Assemblyman Duy Nguyen
- Meetings
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections
- Senator James Ohrenschall, Chair
- Assemblywoman Erica Mosca, Vice Chair
- Senator Skip Daly
- Senator Heidi Seevers Gansert
- Assemblywoman Jill Dickman
- Assemblywoman Cecelia González
- Assemblyman Brian Hibbetts
- Assemblywoman Brittney Miller
- Meetings**No meetings scheduled yet
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Natural Resources
- Senator Julie Pazina, Chair
- Assemblywoman Natha C. Anderson, Vice Chair
- Senator Pete Goicoechea
- Senator Melanie Scheible
- Assemblywoman Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod
- Assemblyman Rich DeLong
- Assemblyman Bert Gurr
- Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch
- Meetings
**Members of the Public Lands Committee have not been appointed yet
**No meetings scheduled yet
Joint Interim Standing Committee on Revenue
- Assemblywoman Shea Backus, Chair
- Senator Dina Neal, Vice Chair
- Senator Fabian Donate
- Senator Heidi Seevers Gansert
- Assemblywoman Venicia Considine
- Assemblyman Gregory Hafen
- Assemblyman David Orentlicher
- Assemblyman Toby Yurek
- Meetings
Joint Interim Standing Committee on the Judiciary
- Assemblywoman Brittney Miller, Chair
- Senator Melanie Scheible, Vice Chair
- Senator Dallas Harris
- Senator Lisa Krasner
- Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant
- Assemblywoman Cecelia González
- Assemblyman Ken Gray
- Assemblywoman Elaine Marzola
- Meetings
Updates from the Governor’s Office
TuBiomics, a Nevada company born out of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development’s (GOED) Knowledge Fund, is getting national attention.
- Deep-technology company TuBiomics which is developing plant and soil health products from mixtures of natural biochemistry was named among Top 10 Agri Biotech Solutions Companies of 2023 by renowned Agri Business Review and made the magazine’s cover story in December. (GOED)
Top state auditor let go as part of Lombardo admin requested ‘leadership change’
Lowman served under four administrations of both parties while at the Division of Internal Audits. He said he’s never received a complaint about his audits, and working with the governor’s office on the recent audits was a “collaborative process” that didn’t turn up any issues. (The Nevada Independent)
State and Local Government Updates
Nye County Commission rebukes lithium mining, solar development
Growing industrial development in Nye County is facing pushback after public opposition to projects residents fear may harm the county’s limited water resources. (Nevada Current)
Reno City Council member Jenny Brekhus sues city over denial of hearing about retaliation
In 2021, Brekhus reported seeing Thornley in his office holding a yellow can. She told an investigator she did a web search for “yellow beer” and found that a Coors can matched what Thornley was drinking. Thornley has said it was sparkling water. (Reno Gazette Journal)
How Las Vegas has become the abortion care hub of the southwest
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the Democratic legislators’ bill that protected out-of-state abortion seekers in Nevada, barring the state from cooperating in investigations from anti-abortion states that seek to prosecute people traveling to Nevada for the procedure. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Initiative filed to cap Nevada payday loan interest rates
The initiative was filed by a recently created nonprofit called Stop Predatory Lending NV and seeks to place a 36 percent annual cap on the interest rates for certain categories of loans, including payday loans and title loans. (The Nevada Independent)
Colorado River states are racing to agree on cuts before Inauguration Day
The Colorado River hit a crisis a year and a half ago, when dangerously low water levels threatened the water supply for California, Arizona and Nevada, prompting the Biden administration to seek an agreement among states on deep cuts. (Las Vegas Sun)
Culinary Union sets strike deadline for 7,700 workers a week before Super Bowl
The union, which is negotiating new contracts at 21 Strip and downtown properties including the Sahara, Westgate, Trump Hotel Las Vegas, The D, Circa and Treasure Island, announced Monday that it set a February deadline for companies, a week before the 2024 Super Bowl is set to take place in Las Vegas. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Nevada’s tax structure is the nation’s 5th most regressive, report finds
Nevada’s poorest residents are taxed at effective rates more than four times higher than its wealthiest residents, according to a new report from the non-partisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. (Nevada Current)
Lee, nonprofits discuss resources amid growing housing crises
Nevada is in a “severe housing crisis,” and one that would be even worse if not for federal assistance programs enacted during the Biden administration, Democratic Rep. Susie Lee said in Las Vegas Friday. (Nevada Current)
Teachers union gave to lawmakers in days after they rebuffed school district
Democrats on an interim committee delayed voting on funding support staff raises amid a monthslong standoff between CCSD and the teachers union over salaries. (The Nevada Independent)
Clark County teachers union to file a petition to change law against strikes
The Clark County Education Association announced Wednesday that it plans to launch a petition that would change a state law that makes it illegal for teachers and other public employees to go on strike. (The Nevada Independent)
School start time proposal hits roadblock with legislative legal division
The future of a proposed regulation on high school start times is unclear as the State Board of Education has yet to hear back on a draft of the proposal it sent to legislative attorneys about three months ago. (The Nevada Independent)
ACLU alleges disability discrimination, ‘pervasive mistreatment’ of people who are deaf by LVMPD
The lawsuit cited failure to provide qualified sign language interpreters and other accommodations that would ensure “effective communication.” (The Nevada Independent)
Federal Updates
BLM aims to round up thousands of horses in Nevada
The ongoing wild horse roundup in rural Northern Nevada is planned to be what is likely the single largest gather conducted by the federal government. (Las Vegas Sun)
Conservationists seek federal protection for rare Nevada wildflower
The Carson Valley monkeyflower faces more threats than any other rare plant in Nevada, according to scientists. (The Nevada Independent)
Articles of Interest
Culinary Union sets strike deadline for nearly 8K Las Vegas workers
Union members working at independent operators on the Strip and downtown Las Vegas casinos will go on strike at 5 a.m. Feb. 2 if they do not reach tentative agreements with their employers before then, according to a news release. The deadline is just ahead of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, which is set to be held at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Tech media arrives for startup of four-day CES 2024
Thousands of tech media representatives poured into the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Sunday for the media preview of CES, a four-day technology trade show expected to draw more than 130,000 people to the city, one-third of them from foreign countries. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Convention Center’s $600M renovation takes another step forward
Work crews are putting the finishing touches on a new board of directors meeting room that will be used for the first time for a Monday committee meeting and Tuesday’s monthly board meeting. (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Indy Gaming: After $600M renovation, what’s next for Las Vegas Convention Center?
With the initial phase of a $600 million remodel of the Las Vegas Convention Center complete, LVCVA CEO Steve Hill said the facility can add to its roster of large-scale trade shows and conferences. (The Nevada Independent)
Longtime regent, former Assemblyman Jason Geddes dies at 56
Jason Geddes, one of the longest-serving recent members of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents and a one-time state assemblyman, died late Tuesday, sources close to Geddes’ family confirmed Wednesday. (The Nevada Independent)
- Photos: Jason Geddes’ decades of public service (Reno Gazette Journal)
District leaders told Monday that WCSD Superintendent Susan Enfield was on leave
Interim Superintendent Kristen McNeill sent a letter to top leaders at the Washoe County School District on Monday confirming Susan Enfield would be on medical leave for the remainder of her time with the district.(Reno Gazette Journal)
Tech Innovations That Caught Our Eye at CES 2024
From electric cars to transparent TVs to the latest accessibility tech and virtual assistants backed by artificial intelligence, there was a wide range of innovations on display at the CES tech show in Las Vegas this week. (US News)
Factory workers at Tesla have been told to expect pay raises this year, a move that comes as the United Auto Workers union tries to organize the electric vehicle maker’s U.S. plants. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Southern Nevada groups strive to enhance health care access, tackle opioids
Combating the opioid epidemic and increasing health care access to at-risk communities are priorities for Southern Nevada’s health organizations in 2024. (Las Vegas Sun)
Titus believes this dream project is on the right track at last, thanks to a multi-jurisdictional strategic effort, careful planning by upstart rail service company Brightline, and a $3 billion grant from the federal government’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. (Las Vegas Weekly)
Election News
Important Dates:
- Early voting for the Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries will run from January 27, 2024, through February 2, 2024.
- The Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries are February 6, 2024.
- Republican Presidential Caucus is February 8, 2024.
- The Primary Election is June 11, 2024.
- The General Election is November 5, 2024.
Days until:
- Nevada presidential primary: 25
- GOP presidential caucus: 26
- Primary Election Day: 151
- General Election Day: 298
The Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus announced its endorsement of Mishon Montgomery for Assembly District 17. The District is represented by Assembly Claire Thomas, who is running for election in Senate District 1. (X)
Former Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall fundraising for 2026 Reno mayor bid
Democrat Kate Marshall, who served as Nevada state treasurer from 2007 to 2015 and lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2021, is seeking the Reno mayor’s seat in 2026, as confirmed to The Nevada Independent on Friday.(The Nevada Independent)
Law could clarify electoral vote count
A bipartisan group of lawmakers crafted legislation intended to clarify the electoral count process that had created such uncertainty following the 2020 election. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Nevada Sen. Rosen’s campaign reports raising $3.2M in fourth quarter
Nevada U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen raised about $3.2 million from October through December and holds more than $10.6 million in cash, according to her campaign, a record figure for an incumbent senator from Nevada at this point in the election cycle. (Las Vegas Sun)
Federal judge rejects attempt to keep Trump off Nevada primary ballot
A federal judge rejected an attempt to keep former President Donald Trump off Nevada’s primary ballot. (Reno Gazette Journal)
Nevada’s GOP caucuses, set for Feb. 8, have yet to win approval for use of CCSD schools
The Clark County Republican Party has yet to receive approval to host its presidential caucuses early next month at numerous public schools across the Las Vegas area, the Sun has learned. (Las Vegas Sun)
Senate candidate Sam Brown endorses Trump for president
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential bid Friday, choosing to embrace the likely Republican presidential candidate amid attacks from primary opponents. (The Nevada Independent)
Election 2024: Tracking Nevada local government and education candidate announcements
The Indy launches a spreadsheet to show politicians who have thrown their hats in the ring for the city, county and statewide school board seats. (The Nevada Independent)
Upcoming Fundraisers
The following joint fundraiser supporting
Senator Roberta Lange &Assemblymembers
Venicia Considine and David Orentlicher
Has been RESCHEDULED
Wednesday, January 17th at 5:30pm
at the Beverly Theater
———————————————————–
Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus
Tuesday, January 16th
5:30 – 7:30PM
Grand Sierra Resort in the VIP Bowling Suites
2500 E 2nd St, Reno, NV 89595
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