Tuesday, April 2, 2019 | 2 a.m.
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The 2019 legislative session offers a truly historic opportunity to tackle some of Nevada’s greatest challenges. State Senate and Assembly Democrats are committed to ensuring prosperity for workers, families and businesses.
During the 2018 election cycle, Nevada became the first state in the country with a majority-female legislature. The 80th legislative session represents the most diverse governing body since our state’s founding.
In the weeks and months ahead, we intend to pass policies that reflect that diversity. We will break ground on new legislation that will create greater economic opportunities for Nevada families, invest in improving our public schools, expand access to high-quality and affordable health care, protect our natural environment, and make our communities safer.
Nevadans agree: Our top priority must be improving public schools across the state. Our students deserve access to a world-class education that will lay the groundwork for lifelong achievement. Improving our schools starts with updating Nevada’s outdated funding formula, which will help to ensure our education dollars are being distributed fairly and equitably. Additionally, we must stop taking Nevada’s educators for granted. We need to give them a pay raise and stop asking them to do more with less. Strong public schools are the key to our success as a state.
In the years to come, we must ensure that our state remains an attractive place to do business for companies large and small. Nevada has made great strides toward diversifying its economy, attracting a variety of companies and fostering the growth of locally owned businesses.
In order for our economy to continue to expand, we need a skilled workforce ready to compete for jobs across new industries. This session, we will explore policies that address college affordability and increase access to vocational programs to better equip our state’s workforce for the growing number of companies that are coming to Nevada.
But economic prosperity shouldn’t extend only to businesses. When working families are treated fairly, our workforce is more stable and productive. That is why we are introducing bills to improve the lives of hardworking Nevadans by providing earned paid sick days and increasing the minimum wage.
We will also fight to provide Nevadans with top-flight, affordable health care options. We will protect Nevadans with pre-existing conditions, lower prescription drug prices and increase access to mental health care. Far too many Nevadans are still uninsured or pay too much for the health care they have. No Nevadan should have to ever choose between putting food on the table and paying medical bills, and we will work to address that.
This is a critical time in our state, and Nevadans are counting on us to deliver meaningful results.
We recognize the immense responsibility to govern that was entrusted to us by the voters. We have an agenda that we believe moves Nevada in a more prosperous direction, and we will work across party lines in collaboration in the areas where we can agree.
Our goal is to help make the lives of everyday, hard-working Nevadans better. In the coming months, we will be laser-focused on meeting this objective.
There are more than 1,000 bills up for consideration during the 120-day session. The state Democrats’ Nevada Blueprint, a package of legislative goals and initiatives, provides an overall picture of our work for 2019. It is important for Nevadans to stay engaged and be a part of the process, and we encourage you to reach out to your legislators with comments, questions, or concerns. Visit nvblueprint.com to learn more about our legislative priorities for the 80th session.
Jason Frierson, D-Las Vegas, is the speaker of the state Assembly, and Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, is the state Senate majority leader.
