Democratic lawmakers push for constitutional protections for reproductive health care

Dozens of abortion rights advocates gathered outside the Nevada State Legislature Building in Carson City last week to voice support for legislation that would enshrine into the state constitution access to the procedure and other forms of reproductive health care.

Senate Joint Resolution 7, introduced this month by state Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-las Vegas, seeks to amend the Nevada Constitution by adding a new section carving out the expressed right to access to abortion, as well as access to the following: prenatal care, childbirth and postpartum care, birth control, vasectomy and tubal ligation, management of a miscarriage, and infertility care.

To amend the constitution, the resolution would need bicameral support during the current legislative session as well as the 2025 session. Additionally, if approved by the Legislature during both sessions, it would appear before voters on the 2026 general election ballot.

“Nevadans deserve to make private reproductive health care decisions without the interference of politicians,” Cannizzarro said in a statement. “Decisions about birth control, pregnancy, infertility treatments, prenatal or postnatal care, abortion, or miscarriage management should stay between patients and their doctors.”

No action has been taken on the resolution, but it appears to be poised for passage through both chambers — where Democrats hold the voting control.

In addition to Cannizzaro, the resolution was introduced by nine other primary sponsors and 30 co-sponsors — all of whom were Democratic lawmakers, representing nearly the entirety of the progressive conference.

Democrats hold a 28-14 vetoproof supermajority in the lower chamber and a 13-8 edge in the Senate. No Republicans have co-sponsored the resolution.

“There is no shortage of examples pointing to the harm that abortion bans and limits to other reproductive health care have had across the United States since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer,” said Lindsey Harmon, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada. “And we know that Nevada’s current protections, while incredibly helpful, are no guarantee against this new wave of attacks.”

Nevada voters in 1990 overwhelmingly approved a referendum that protected access to abortion up to 24 weeks gestation.

The referendum could only be undone by a similar vote presented to Nevadans. Adding such a measure to the constitution, advocates argue, would make it nearly impossible to restrict abortion access.

Affordable housing

A proposal being considered at the Legislature would compel landlords and rental companies to disclose upfront mandatory fees like sewer and trash disposal charges that are included on top of rent. Assembly Bill 218 would also eliminate fees when paying rent through an online portal.

“Rent amounts need to be transparent,” said Assemblywoman Venicia Considine, D-las Vegas. “And we need to know what we’re getting into before we’re putting down money we can never get back.”

Another housing bill being considered would require landlords to file eviction notices in court and give tenants adequate time to respond.

Assembly Bill 340 would make the eviction process more consistent with other civil procedures, said Assemblywoman Shondra Summers-armstrong, D-las Vegas, who sponsored the bill. Some eviction notices can come with as little notice to vacate — often leaving tenants scrambling to find housing elsewhere.

“If you have to leave your house or your apartment and they give you 30 days, we all know the chances for you to find another place to live in 15 days or 30 days — it’s impossible,” Summers-armstrong said. “So we want a fair process.”

Cybersecurity

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-nev., has introduced a bill alongside Sen. John Cornyn, R-texas, seeking to ensure federal data centers meet standards to ensure they are safe from cyberattacks, terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

The Federal Data Center Enhancement Act of 2023 was introduced by Rosen after a similar iteration of the bill failed to advance out of the Senate last year. Data centers are physical facilities where federal agencies store critical data and host critical IT and cybersecurity infrastructure, an aide to Rosen said in an email.

In a statement to the Sun, Rosen cited increasing cyberattacks in recent years that have wreaked havoc on the public and private sectors as a reason for drafting the bill.

“At a time of increasing cyberattacks, ransomware demands and threats from natural disasters, we must bolster the physical and digital infrastructure of federal data centers,” Rosen said. “My bipartisan legislation would establish a consistent set of safety requirements to help increase resiliency, prevent unwanted intrusion, and protect Americans’ critical data.”

Lake Mead funding

Rosen, along with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-nev., and Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona, sent a letter last week to National Park Service officials urging them to use federally appropriated funds to address the extreme drought conditions and boat ramp closures at Lake Mead.

Water levels at the lake have sunk to historic lows as the U.S. West continues to deal with drought, despite a glut of rainstorms in recent months that have slammed California. The Senators requested the parks service use some of the $1.5 billion allotted by Congress to remedy boat launches, which they say are used by millions of visitors each year.

“Lake Mead National Recreation Area is our country’s first national recreation area and the fifth most-visited park in the National Park System,” the senators wrote. “Visitors to Lake Mead play a significant role in the local economy, supporting small businesses and workers who depend on robust outdoor recreation tourism for their livelihoods. The low water levels have seriously impacted recreation, particularly with the closure of all but one boat launch ramp at the lake, putting businesses and jobs at risk.”

Nurses wanted

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle last week introduced a bill seeking to expand undergraduate and graduate nursing programs by appropriating funds to a Nevada System of Higher Education (NHSE) grant program.

State Sen. Heidi Seevers Gansert — a Republican whose district covers parts of Washoe County — introduced the bill alongside Cannizzaro, Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-las Vegas, and Assembly Minority Leader P.K. O’neill, R-carson City.

The bill would give NHSE $17.5 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year and an additional $18.4 million for the following fiscal year to develop a grant program designed specifically for nursing students in the state’s seven accredited institutions.

According to the bill’s language, the grants may only be used for costs associated with expanding undergraduate and graduate nursing programs but cannot be used for the construction of new facilities.