Latest news with #Cannizzaro
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I'm running,' Cannizzaro announces she will run for Nevada Attorney General's seat
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro announced on Tuesday that she is starting her campaign for the attorney general's office in 2026. She is the second major candidate to do so. 'Our leaders should be focused on making Nevada safer and stronger, but the Trump administration and Congress have continued their assault on ordinary Nevadans, cutting Medicaid and funding for our schools, attacking Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights, and raising the cost of energy, housing and groceries,' she said in a news release. Cannizzaro is a lifelong Nevadan, a former prosecutor, and the first woman to serve as Majority Leader of the Nevada State Senate. Her announcement also included a YouTube video. Cannizzaro will go up against state Treasurer Zach Conine in the democratic primary. The former attorney and consultant was the first major candidate when he announced in May that he would seek the attorney general's office. According to his campaign website, he is 'running to be Nevada's next Attorney General because Nevadans deserve someone who isn't afraid of rolling up their sleeves to take on big fights.' It also states, 'Whether it's protecting Nevadans from overreach by the federal government, leveling the playing field for workers, families, and small businesses, or delivering results for Nevadans who are struggling.' Current Attorney General Aaron Ford announced his plans to challenge Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nevada Democrats unveil major education bill targeting CCSD, charter schools
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada Democrats pitched their education bill Monday, which would bring major changes to the state. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D), Clark County – District 6, presented her bill before the Senate Education Committee for its first hearing. The proposal has language that allows local school boards of trustees to block charter schools from opening and gives the state Department of Education the power to remove a superintendent if 30% of schools don't experience 'academic growth.' Cannizzaro's bill takes aim at the Clark County School District. Her proposal would give the four appointed non-voting CCSD trustees voting power. However, her proposed reforms to charter schools have opposition. 'I rise in strong opposition to SB460 because it limits parental rights—the fundamental right of parents to choose the best learning environment for their children—at a time when Nevadans overwhelmingly support school choice,' Jill Douglas wrote in opposition to the bill. Based on enrollment, charter schools are the second-largest school system in Nevada, behind only CCSD. According to Cannizzaro's proposal, all charter school teachers would be required to have a license or an endorsement. As it currently stands, charter schools are only required to have 80% of their teachers with a license or an endorsement. Cannizzaro also seeks to reform the State Public Charter School Authority, which is the agency that oversees charter schools. Her proposal would reduce the agency's members from 11 to nine and change the criteria for appointment. 'I want to stress that I believe charter schools are an important part of our educational system,' Cannizzaro said. 'I do believe that when we talk about accountability, we can actually talk about accountability for all schools that are public schools and publicly funded, and that's why there are provisions in here that addresses some of those changes.' These charter school amendments potentially place her bill in peril as Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo could veto it. 'I've received plenty of emails for and against a bill, and I think there's concerns of the requirements we're putting forward for private and charter schools as to whether or not it's fair,' St. Sen. Fabian Doñate, D-Clark County, said at Monday's hearing. He stated he is a supporter of more accountability for the state's charter schools. Cannizzaro's proposal would also give the governor the authority to declare a state of emergency at a school district if its schools don't improve academically. Lombardo's bill would go in the opposite direction, including transforming nonperforming public schools into charter schools. His bill has its first hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Remove that excuse': Gov. Lombardo's education bill aims at performance, accountability
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo introduced his plan on Friday to remake education statewide, with a big focus on holding local school leaders accountable for poor student outcomes. Lombardo unveiled what he labeled as the Nevada Accountability in Education Act at Pinecrest Academy – Sloan Academy. But his bill faces challenges from the Democratic controlled Nevada Legislature. 'We can no longer accept lack of funding as an excuse for chronic underperformance,' Lombardo said. 'My attempt is to be bold and remove that excuse as part of the process.' According to the governor, his bill would make it easier for the state to take over underperforming schools and to restructure a school board if student performance lags. But it's unclear how much his bill would cost. Senate Majority Leader Cannizzaro, D-Clark County, told 8 News Now on Tuesday she will introduce a wide-ranging education bill next week. Back in December, she laid out her vision for it. '[Cannizzaro's] bill is coming out the same time as mine, hopefully, fingers crossed. And then we'll have the opportunity to sit down and do the checklist, and determine what is of importance to both me, and the state of Nevada, and the legislative process,' Lombardo said. Cannizzaro also spoke with 8 News Now in February in Carson City and said her bill would include giving the four non-voting members on the Clark County School District Board of Trustees voting power. 'We can't have our school board of trustees just constantly embroiled in different fights with each other. We have the business of educating students to get to and I think those new trustees are bringing that, so part of my bill is giving them voting rights,' Cannizzaro said on Feb. 7. But that is one of the few similarities the Cannizzaro and Lombardo bills have right now. Lombardo's speech on Friday at Pinecrest Academy highlighted one of his prime concerns — providing more funding for charter schools, which as a whole are the second-largest school system in Nevada. 'We're getting into the last four weeks of the [legislative] session, and you want to make sure that you have a complete evaluation of policies of this size and that everybody has a voice in the process,' Lombardo said. The governor will release more information next week on his bill, which includes money to provide school bus travel for charter school students. Another element is providing more money for the Read by Grade 3 program. Lombardo said his bill would also give teachers, staff, and administrators immunity from criminal and civil lawsuits regarding 'good faith' efforts to stop violence in the classroom. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Proposed Nevada bill aims to expand IVF access
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A new bill in the Nevada Legislature focuses on modern family planning, specifically expanding IVF access to Nevada families. SB 217 was introduced to the Health and Human Services committee on Thursday. The bill pushes for Nevada families to have greater access to IVF and was modeled after the Colorado Building Families Act. 'The treatments provide hope and opportunity for those struggling with infertility, for same-sex couples who are seeking biological parenthood, individuals with medical conditions that could affect their fertility,' said Democratic State Senator Nicole Cannizzaro, who is one of the bill's primary sponsors. Majority Leader Cannizzaro had with her the founder of Nevada Fertility Advocates, Amanda Klein, who understands the subject matter all too well. 'My husband and I struggled with infertility for five years. I did have to do IVF, I had several miscarriages,' Klein told 8 News Now. 'Ultimately, we had to hire a surrogate to have our daughter, but she's incredible, and she's the reason I do this work today.' Klein has been working with Senator Cannizzaro on this bill for the past year. SB217 includes coverage for treatments like IVF, as well as fertility preservation for those who have diagnoses like cancer. 'We were hit with the reality that one in six Nevadans face and that is that infertility is a disease,' Klein continued. 'The American Medical Association has recognized infertility as a disease- just like cancer, just like diabetes, just like heart disease for several decades- and it should be recognized by insurance companies as well.' However, the legislation isn't without pushback. Some disagree with the bill because of parts of the language. 'SB 217 clearly states that fertilized eggs and embryos before implantation are not legally considered persons,' said Melissa Clement, with the Nevada Right to Life, who spoke on the floor in opposition. 'This is neither scientific nor medical.' Additionally, there are some opponents concerned about the price tag. 'The infertility coverage mandates apply to large employers, which means that the cost for employers and employees will increase due to the cost of these treatments,' expressed Shelly Capurro with the Nevada Association Of Health Plans. However, Klein responded to some of the opposition, saying that family building is a bipartisan issue. 'We understand, especially me, being a lifelong Nevadan that there are cost implications to a bill like this,' Klein said. 'But it is incredibly important for us to work from both sides of the aisle- Republican and Democrat- to get this bill to a place where we can all agree to it. The bill is set to head to the finance committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AI-generated child porn would be banned under proposed Nevada law
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — What does artificial intelligence mean in the dark world of child pornography? That was the topic as the Nevada Legislature reviewed a bill that would update existing laws for a strange new world. There are no Nevada statutes against AI-generated child pornography and that needs to change, according to Attorney General Aaron Ford. He took part in presenting Senate Bill 263 (SB263) on Wednesday in Carson City, alongside Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, the bill's sponsor. AI is being used to alter images — the faces of child porn victims, which are being replaced by new faces. It's creating a whole new class of victims, and sometimes making it very hard to identify the initial victims. And there is pornography that is completely AI-generated, with no discernable connection to a human victim. 'It's simple. Our laws need to keep up with technology, especially when bad actors are using it to exploit children,' Ford said. 'Creating computer-generated child pornography is not just disturbing it's … predatory. And it should be a crime. Under this bill, it will be,' he said. The discussion that followed took a winding path through existing law, constitutional law and AI deepfake technology. Jacob Villani, a prosecutor for the Clark County District Attorney's Office, explained the techniques that are being used to keep track of child porn images and where they come from. That's one of the few tools law enforcement has against the new technology. Ford talked about an actual case. 'A child who was rescued from sexual abuse in 2018 is still being victimized today because predators are using AI to create new fake child pornography with her face. These deepfakes keep the abuse going long after she was saved. And because of advancements in artificial intelligence, it's actually harder to even, to ever track and remove these images.' Villani and Cannizzaro, who spent 11 years working for the Clark County DA's office, took turns addressing questions that took a lot of twists and turns. Senators asked about how the bill would deal with the age of consent, particularly when an older person was made to look like a minor. 'We are overly careful when it comes to age,' Villani said. 'The cases we prosecute are clearly children.' At its base, SB263 adds computer-generated child pornography to what is illegal under Nevada law. Villani said when investigations uncover that material, there is no existing law to use to prosecute the case. People opposed to the bill question whether it's constitutional. Cannizzaro said those questions were addressed as the bill came together. She said there is no bright-line test. 'Part of this requires for the judiciary, for law enforcement, for prosecutors and defense attorneys to make those kinds of calls,' Cannizzaro said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
