Assembly committee hears Nevada Day bill

SB31 implements results of a 1998 advisory ballot question asking Nevadans whether they should mandate Nevada Day always be Oct. 31 or allow the celebration to be held the last Friday in October. Voters strongly supported the idea.

Carson City business and government leaders have argued turning Nevada Day into a three-day weekend would be an economic boon to the city and allow other parts of the state to participate in the celebration of the state's admission to the union.

Opponents such as Assemblywoman Gene Segerblom, D-Boulder City, have argued holidays lose their meaning when they become just another long weekend.

Segerblom said she intends to vote against the plan because holidays should be celebrated on the right day to make sure they keep their historical meaning.

But Government Affairs Committee Chairman Doug Bache, D-Las Vegas, says he would follow the will of voters.

"I voted against this measure last time," he said. But because lawmakers put the question to voters and they strongly supported the idea, "I feel there's an obligation to do this."

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