Legislative Bills on our Mind
Senate Bill 12 which would reverse the plan to have a sixth ward in Reno rather than the current at-large position come 2024 seems to be running into some early headwinds. No surprise Mayor Hillary Schieve appreciates current at-large council member Devon Reese, as she promoted his 2024 “reelection campaign” with a photo of the two of them hugging and smiling on the Reno ice rink, with the less adept at skating councilman tightly hanging on.
Problem is Reese doesn’t yet have a seat to run for. It seems some committee members aren’t buying the new City of Reno arguments which are diametrically opposed to their own arguments from several years ago when the change was made.
Conflating liking one person with why there needs to be a change back might be more of a tough sell than the current tight circle of Reno power holders believed. The hosts of the upcoming Reese kickoff event (below) is a who’s who of powerful local people and strong Reese supporters. This will be interesting to see how it all unfolds and if the Reno political elite can be defeated in Carson City.
Here’s our report on SB 12 before its hearing this week which is worth the watch.
Other bills which have caught our attention include Senate Bill 172 which would authorize health centers to provide contraceptives and treat STIs without parental consent. Under current law, minors can’t get preventive care for STIs but they can get treatment. This would fix that gap and also cost no money to the state, according to Democratic sponsor Senator Dallas Harris.
Senate Bill 239, the new so-called end of life bill, would set up a system for allowing terminally ill patients to use life-ending medication. Previous right to die attempts have failed at the legislature, but Democratic Senator Edgar Flores is giving it another go.
Senate Bill 143 would remove barriers blocking the formerly incarcerated from getting housing, and limit the information landlords can inquire about. This has been a huge problem in Reno, where many ex-convicts can’t get access to housing.
For those still behind bars, Senate Bill 187 would require the Nevada Department of Corrections pay inmates an hourly wage equal to the state minimum wage. This would allow those being released to have some savings.
Senate Bill 242 would decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for people possessing four ounces or less. Democratic Senator Rochelle Nguyen says the bill would help explore “potentially life-changing and life-saving treatments” for those struggling with mental health.
At the Assembly level, AB 226 would allow DACA recipients to qualify for in-state college tuition after 12 months of living in Nevada. Now, strangely, they don’t qualify if they’ve moved from another state.
Which of these bills do you think are most likely to pass, or come up short? With a Republican governor many of these proposals undoubtedly face a daunting road ahead to make it to the finish line of becoming law.
More Reporting Highlights This Week
We got a tour of OUR Place, the shelter for women and families, and got to go see the free Katie’s Boutique for children (see video at bottom of this post).
A spirited discussion took place on our Twitter and our other social media channels about the bowling stadium getting an expensive mural from an artist not living in Reno.
Our podcast consists of archive interviews of women surviving on the streets of Reno.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser