Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Clark County to consider anti-harassment policy

District Attorney Interviews

Sam Morris

Clark County commissioner Chris Giunchigliani talks to other commissioners Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 during a meeting of the Clark County Commission.

The #MeToo movement calling out sexual harassment is spurring a Clark County-level policy that will inform employees, lobbyists and other officials about conduct and where to file complaints.

County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said during a Tuesday meeting that she is working to put together a policy to apply countywide and that she hopes for a vote on it this month. The county’s diversity office handles complaints, and a policy would lay out the process in one place for everyone.

“It’s better to be proactive rather than waiting until something potentially happens,” Giunchigliani said. “Transparency in this case not only makes good sense, it lets people know that we take these situations very seriously.”

Giunchigliani said she’s looked at other policies around the state to draft the county’s policy, including that of the state Legislature after former Sen. Mark Manendo was found in 2017 to have violated anti-harassment rules.

The policy will go over various types of harassment, including bullying. Giunchigliani said she’s adapting anti-bullying policies used in schools for adults.

“I’m trying to cobble together something that is reasonable but actually gives employees as well as lobbyists, commissioners, everybody, a guideline for what happens, how do you report, who investigates and any potential outcomes,” she said. “We really should be leaders in that.”

Commissioners also heard about the Nevada secretary of state’s “Gender Equality in the Workplace” study and voted to participate. Assembly Bill 423 was approved by the governor in 2017 to require the secretary of state to collect and report information on gender equality. The study will look at the gender pay gap, where women earn an estimated 83 cents for every dollar made by a man doing similar work.

“We can look at where we have strengths and weaknesses within our process with regard to pay parity,” she said.