Equality
Republican challenging Nevada Senate majority leader has ties to far right Christian group
The Nevada Senate Republican Caucus-backed candidate hoping to unseat Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro describes herself on her website as having “a pragmatic and results-oriented approach” but has previously identified herself as a member of a right-wing Christian organization. Jill Douglass, a retiree who previously worked in financial services, is one of two Republicans running […]
‘Mom’ legislators see their numbers, influence grow but barriers to elected office remain
For the second time while serving in the Nevada Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro gave birth last year. And again, she publicly pledged to continue full participation in her duties. As the nation’s groundbreaker when it comes to working moms in a state capital, Nevada made history in 2019 as the only female-majority legislative […]
Nevada settles lawsuits with injured inmate firefighters, stripsearched woman
The State of Nevada on Tuesday agreed to pay $340,000 to a group of inmate firefighters who alleged they were mocked and denied immediate medical care after inadequate equipment led to second-degree burns and their socks melting to their feet. The state also approved a $126,500 settlement for a woman who was stripsearched and interrogated […]
‘Still a ways to go’ but indigent defense is improving in Nevada’s rural counties
Progress on correcting systemic issues with the delivery of indigent defense in Nevada’s rural counties has sped up in recent years, but the state is still out of compliance with standards set in a legal agreement it entered three years ago. Nevada’s Department of Indigent Defense Services (DIDS) was established by state lawmakers in 2019 […]
Southern Nevada at risk of losing tree shade to extreme heat
Southern Nevada is at risk of losing the few trees it has due to extreme heat, a loss that would only exacerbate how unevenly protective tree shade is distributed across communities in one of the fastest-warming metros in the nation. As climate change disruption continues at a faster pace than predicted by climate scientists, the […]
Legal group helps trans people file court name change, gender marker documents
Around the time Emily Ajir began hormone replacement therapy in late 2022, the 23-year-old also started to research the process of legally changing her name and gender marker. Ajir knew she wanted to live her authentic self, with a chosen name to match. It was the prospect of paying $270 for court filing fees that […]
In contrast to red state anti-LGBTQ push, NV’s Republican governor signs 2 trans protection bills
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo recently signed two bills enhancing protections for transgender and gender nonconforming people at a time when Republican-led states have been passing record numbers of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Lombardo also vetoed a bill that protected providers offering gender-affirming care. One bill signed Monday prevents insurance companies from discriminating against trans people on the […]
Lawmakers propose solution to address racist covenants in legal property documents
History researchers at UNR estimate Washoe County alone has at least 11,000 racist covenants, legal property documents that once restricted anyone not white from purchasing or living in the home. While the covenants, a relic of the Jim Crow era, are unconstitutional and unenforceable, Democratic state Sen. Dallas Harris is proposing a way to redact […]
Nevada Senate advances bill to make it easier to change name on marriage certificates
The Wedding Capital of the World wants to make it easier for people who have changed their legal name to amend their marriage certificate to reflect their chosen name. Senate Bill 211 passed the Nevada Senate on Monday with bipartisan, near-unanimous support. Only state Sen. Robin Titus (R-Wellington) voted against the bill. It now heads […]
Nevada lawmakers form LGBTQ+ Caucus to ‘move state forward’
Nevada lawmakers have formed an LGBTQ+ Caucus and plan to bring back legislation bolstering rights for transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Democratic state Sen. Dallas Harris, who was elected Monday to serve as the first chair for the caucus, said legislative priorities for the group include bills that increase protections for trans inmates within the Nevada […]
Organizers call on Congress to pass last-minute immigration reform, pathway to citizenship
As a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, David Beltran Barajas lives his life two years at a time. The DACA program, created through an executive order by former President Barack Obama, protects eligible immigrants who arrived in the United States as children from deportation, but they have to repeatedly reapply. The legality of […]
One-third of Nevada workers are paid less than $15 per hour
More than a third of all Nevada workers are making less than $15 per hour, according to a new report by Oxfam America. The vast majority of these workers are adults, many of them are parents with children to support. The analysis, which uses U.S. Census Bureau data and advocates for raising the federal minimum […]