Winding down in Carson City

The Nevada legislature is winding down. Participants hope they can leave Carson City in their cars and not on a rail.

Concealed carry is doing well, as a bill to prohibit carry in public libraries died. If you are in the military or a vet, age restrictions were lifted for those 18-20.

Washoe Republican Assemblymember Jill Tolles’ Assembly Bill 260 is likely to pass. This bill is Nevada’s first version of the “Swedish Model” of anti-prostitution legislation. This model is the newest rage with prohibitionists. Sex workers are supposedly “helped” by being arrested, humiliated, forced to go to court, plead guilty, and then attend boring and irrelevant re-education in order to have their “crime” expunged. Meanwhile their customers (“johns”) face increasing fines and potential gross misdemeanor charges for paying for services that they need and/or desire from willing providers. The U.S. way of shame and confusion regarding sex and the law continues in Nevada as in the rest of the country. Only Nevada has the added irony of permitting legal prostitution in government-approved bordellos that makes this not only a prurient criminalization of consensual commercial sexual transactions but also a blatant act of economic protectionism.

Senate Bill 188 adds anti-discrimination language to many Nevada statutes for LGTBQ people. The bill pretty much confines itself to public entities, which I support. It does forbid housing discrimination, to which I would ask is there any evidence of widespread housing discrimination in Nevada for LGTBQ people? Just askin’.

A.B. 229 and Assembly Joint Resolution 2 would legalize same sex marriage statutorily and then constitutionally. This is the right thing to do, and Senate Republicans voted for it. The constitutional amendment requires passage in the next legislative session and a vote by the people.

Republicans did oppose S.B. 122, establishing public funding for “family planning” grants to local government entities and non-profits (Planned Parenthood). We can only hope the Governor will veto this bill. There is a difference between a right to privacy and forcing everyone to pay for that right.

And, yes, abortion is a relatively safe and sadly common medical procedure but, hey, it is not the same as an appendectomy! The left wants abortion thought of as just another procedure, but the majority of voters simply cannot.

A.B. 258 passed with Republican opposition in the Assembly. It would create a women’s commission to continue to look into ways to make sure men know they are no longer in charge, which men already know very well.

S.B. 107 passed the Senate without Republican opposition and will create ethnic and diversity studies in school. At least the bill was amended from mandatory to optional to create the class. Does this mean ethnic jokes are OK again? No, that kind of diversity will not be tolerated, I’m sure. Those who attend this class will learn how differently superior we all are, and the idea of the “common school,” if it ever existed, will fade away some more. The Balkanization of America continues.

Two other constitution-altering bills that are still in play are S.J.R. 14 and S.J.R. 11. Both had nearly unanimous Republican opposition in the Senate, and are in the Assembly as of this report.

S.J.R. 14 would place an escalator clause on property taxes, allowing for a tax increase every time a property is sold or transferred. S.J.R. 11 would allow for annual sessions of the legislature, with a 45 day session in even years. If they pass this year, they have to pass in the next session and then face a vote of the people. Nevadans rarely vote to raise taxes or give legislators more opportunity to meddle in their lives.