Vote Nevada Supporters,

Friday, April 14^th, was the deadline for bills to be affirmatively voted out of their first committee.  Quite a few bills are now dead, but not all bills that failed to receive a committee vote are dead.  Some bills were declared exempt, such as the Governor’s five bills, and some bills were amended into other bills, so, technically the bill is dead, but the language is still alive in a live bill.  

If one of your bills appears to be dead, check on its NELIS page to see if it has DECLARED EXEMPT at the top.  And if is not declared exempt, reach out to the bill sponsor to see if the bill’s language has been amended into another bill.

Also, be aware that some bills, like AB37, have been re-referred to one of the “money committees.” In the Assembly, it is Ways and Means, while in the Senate it is Finance.  If a bill has a fiscal note that is not covered in the Governor’s budget, it will need to be paid for before moving forward. 

Unlike past legislative sessions where the amount of money needed exceeded the amount of revenue available, in this session we have a budget surplus.  So, just being re-referred to a money committee does not mean the bill is automatically dead due to a lack of funding.  We still need to show up during public comments in the money committee hearings to show support for these bills because there is a chance the money is available. 

The next big deadline is April 25^th.  All bills must pass affirmatively out of the house of origin to stay alive.  Assembly bills must receive a majority vote on the Assembly floor and Senate bills must receive a majority vote on the Senate floor.  Successful bills then move to the other house to start the committee process all over again.

Another important meeting coming up on May 1^st is the Economic Forum. The Economic Forum consists of experts in economics and finance who review statistical benchmarks in the national and state economies to determine how much revenue will be available over the next two years.  The Economic Forum last met in December and the Governor used that forecast for determining his budget.  

If the Economic Forum determines that the economy is stronger than anticipated, the Forum commissioners may revise their revenue forecast upward.  This extra money can then be used to pay for the unfunded fiscal notes sitting in the money committees.

The Economic Forum’s meetings are live-streamed through the legislature’s website similar to legislative committee hearings.  You can see more information about May 1, 2023, 9:30 am meeting here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/InterimCommittee/REL/Interim2021/Meeting/24305

Tomorrow, April 17^th, starting at 1:30 pm, in celebration of Earth Day, the Carson City Democratic Men’s Club luncheon speaker is Chas Macquarie whose presentation focuses on the impact of the electrification of buildings and vehicles on the climate.  If you would like to Zoom in, please email Rich Dunn at richdunn as one word and then @aol.com.

As a historian, I always start with primary sources when I determine whether I support or oppose something.  Hearing other people’s perceptions and perspectives is useful, but I decide for myself after doing my own research.  This is definitely the case when I decide to vote for someone, support or oppose a bill, or join a reform movement.

We spoke directly to Nevada’s Forward Party Chair Cesar Marquez about the Forward Party organizing in Nevada, and now that we are hearing that No Labels has arrived in Nevada, we will speak directly to No Labels representatives.  So, on Saturday, April 22^nd, from 9 to 10 am, via Zoom, we can listen as a first step in our evaluation and decision-making process. 

If you would like to join us, please RSVP here: https://vote-nevada.news/No-Labels-Party-Presentation

Also on April 22nd, there is a Pow Wow for the Planet at UNLV from 11 am to 7 pm.  It is open to the public.

 Lastly, save the date! Vote Nevada is arranging with partners for an official in-person viewing of the film The Young Vote in Las Vegas on August 25^th and in Reno on August 26^th.  Both viewings will include the producer/director Diane Robinson and the film’s cast joining us in person.  Diane and the cast are flying into Las Vegas on August 24^th to attend the ACLU NV gala at the Paris Hotel and then we will view the film at CSN on the 25^th and a place to be determined in Reno on the 26^th.

I am sure you all have been reading the same articles I have about how important the Gen Z vote will be in 2024, so, I am thrilled that we will be able to uplift this topic for Women’s Equality Day, which is August 26^th this year.  I will have more details about this opportunity soon. 

Sondra

Vote Nevada: Solving Problems with Civics

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Vote Nevada is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization.  Anyone can become a supporter by emailing info@vote-nevada.org, we have no membership dues.  We do, however, accept donations Here