Wednesday, April 19, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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Everyone who engages during our legislative session has at least one complaint about the process, and there is a lot to complain about, so it can seem that nothing goes right. To remind us of the good that also happens, I would like to celebrate one shining example of effective legislative collaboration.
Assemblywoman Erica Mosca is sponsoring Assembly Bill 212 to end the practice of withholding college transcripts from students with school debt over $100. A student needs transcripts to transfer to complete a degree as well as apply for a job. This means students who need to graduate, get a job and then pay off their debts are being blocked from doing the things that will enable them to pay off their debts.
Mosca’s bill proposes to remove this barrier by placing in-debt students on a monthly payment plan and then giving them their transcripts.
On March 14, Mosca presented this problem and her solution to the Assembly Education Committee, then answered questions from committee members. Members praised her solution as fair and logical. Public comments included higher education representatives who spoke in favor of AB 212.
Voila! Logic, collaboration, and civility worked! AB 212 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee today, and I expect to celebrate the second hearing as another example of effective legislative collaboration. It helps to know that good things also happen during our legislative session.
The writer is a professor at the College of Southern Nevada.
