05 Jun Nevada finishes their 80th Legislative Session with many victories Make the Road Nevada
June 5th 2019 The 80th Nevada legislative session has come to an end and with it comes an array of victories for Make the Road Nevada (MRNV) and our members! After a long 120 days of lobbying for bills that were aimed to help working families in Nevada, members had the opportunity to participate in the legislative process! Our members showed legislators in our state that they are present and involved in Nevada ! Although there were many victories there still a lot of work to be done especially towards the bills that died in this legislative session but that address important issues for our community.
As a part of the Time to Care NV coalition, members successfully lobbied for SB 312, a bill requiring employers with 50 or more employees to provide earned paid sick days. MRNV members made monthly bus trips to Carson City, Nevada, in order to meet with state legislators and share the stories and struggles of working Nevadans. The passage of AB 456, which raising the minimum wage to $12 over the next five years, resulted in another big win for economic justice after a decade with no increase!
We saw great victories for immigrant justice! We successfully organized as part of the Nevada Immigrant Coalition(NIC), and with the help of Senator Selena Torres, for AB 275 which removes any citizenship requirement need to acquire professional licenses. This is a victory that our members can be really proud of as this bill will open the doors for so many undocumented immigrants, allowing for them to start their own business and stimulate the economy. In addition, the Office of New Americans was established through SB 538 and immigrants being informed of their miranda rights through AB 376. However, the work for immigrant justice doesn’t end at the end of the legislative session, we still need to work to end the 287g program.
One of the issues that our members are most passionate about, housing justice, saw advances that would help those Nevadans on the verge of homelessness. So many Nevadans live one emergency away from failing to make rent and being evicted. With the passage of SB-151, the bill buys those Nevadans an extended period of time and protections when facing evictions. AB 174 helps the homeless population find housing as it establishes the Nevada Interagency Advisory Council on Homelessness to Housing.
The work doesn’t end here, for the members of MRNV there are still needs that are not being met. We still need to end the terrorization of ICE in our neighbors through the 287g program. There is still more that can be done for the imminent housing crisis, and we can’t let the $12 minimum wage raise be ceiling but only just the beginning, because our communities are still facing life changing economic struggles.
To stay informed and get involved, join us at our weekly community meetings and come back to our website for the latest information.