Sunday, March 30, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Tony Badillo, president of the Nevada Casino Dealers Association:
* Eliminate the ability of employers to fire workers "at will" without cause. Compel employers to cite the reason for a job termination.
* Prevent other casino workers, including management, from sharing tips earned by dealers.
Rosetta Johnson, president of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Nevada:
* Make health insurance more accessible for individuals with mental illnesses.
* Bolster community-based services by funding teams of professionals who would help people released from hospitals to live independently.
* Eliminate housing discrimination against the mentally ill.
Karen Winckler, president of Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice:
* Shorten the time it takes for individuals convicted of crimes to have their records sealed, making it easier for those people to secure jobs or work cards.
* Make sure criminal courts protect the rights of individual defendants so they are perceived as innocent unless proven guilty.
Michael Pawlak, housing division administrator for the Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County:
* Include affordable housing and social services in the ongoing discussion about infrastructure needs in Southern Nevada.
* Ensure that block grants targeted for states as part of federal welfare reform include money earmarked to local nonprofit organizations to help provide consistent funding sources for social service programs.
* Amend zoning laws and provide builder tax incentives to encourage affordable housing for lower-income residents throughout the Las Vegas Valley, rather than restrict such housing to certain areas. Eliminate "not in my back yard" laws.
* Encourage local governments to clean up blighted neighborhoods.
Jon Sasser, state advocacy coordinator for the Legal Services Statewide Advocacy Office:
* Structure state welfare reform to make people self-sufficient, rather than emphasize punitive measures that contain time limits for benefits.
* Make health insurance more accessible to those who don't have it, and expand eligibility for Medicaid.
* Promote higher wages for workers and greater access to child care.
Garth Winckler, president of United Way of Southern Nevada:
* Make kindergarten mandatory for all children to help promote early childhood education.
* Fluoridate water to reduce tooth decay.
* Encourage stricter regulation of charities. Require registration of professional fund-raisers to discourage solicitations from dishonest individuals.
* Encourage the gaming industry to join area banks in promoting affordable housing by helping to hold the mortgages on such homes.
* Institute a $1 tax on incoming passengers at McCarran International Airport to help fund local social service programs.
Ronald Ray Smith, technical adviser to the Disabled Rights Action Committee:
* Require Nevada to sign on to the federal Fair Housing Act by enacting equivalent state laws.
* Encourage Nevada to upgrade its building codes to match those of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
* Strengthen the rights of pedestrians in rights of way such as crosswalks by applying and enforcing penalties against violators.
* Encourage operators of private shuttle services on fixed routes to provide access for the disabled.
Chester Richardson, special assistant to the president of the NAACP Las Vegas chapter:
* Expand economic opportunity by removing discriminatory barriers known as "red-lining" that make it difficult for minority businessmen to obtain bank loans and credit.
* Make sure poor neighborhoods such as West Las Vegas share in redevelopment funds that would bring new business to the area. Also ensure that such neighborhoods are included in Southern Nevada's infrastructure discussions by obtaining funds to upgrade schools and public transit.
* Ensure that minority building contractors, as well as providers of goods and services, have a fair chance to compete for work in the gaming industry.
* Establish a citizen review board to review Metro Police actions and make nonbinding recommendations to the sheriff.
* Expand the Las Vegas City Council from five to at least seven members to prevent poor neighborhoods from being lumped into a single ward.
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