Latest news with #RondaChurchill
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Democracy at gunpoint: Why Nevada needs Assembly Bill 105
(Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current) Imagine this: a scorching sun baking the dusty air as armed militia stand guard outside a polling station, rifles at the ready. Families lingering at the edges, wary of being turned away – or worse. The heat only intensifies the tension that crackles in the breeze, while the sight of people with guns near the voting booths imparts an unsettling sense of danger. Here's the thing: you don't have to rely on your imagination here. This scene isn't unfolding in a distant war-torn landscape; this was Phoenix, Arizona, during the 2022 midterm election, where armed Americans in tactical gear stood next to a ballot drop box. A similar scene unfolded in Las Vegas, Nevada, where two armed men paced outside of a ballot tabulation center. The presence of firearms in close proximity to voters has become a troubling reality here at home, a reality we often think only happens far from American soil. Such intimidation tactics can sow fear and deter citizens from exercising their most fundamental democratic right: the right to vote. Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui is addressing this problem in Nevada by introducing Assembly Bill 105. This legislation aims to ensure that Nevadans can cast their ballots without fear of violence or harassment. Specifically, this bill would: Prohibit the possession or presence of firearms within 100 yards of election sites, which include any polling place or central counting place. Create exceptions for law enforcement officers carrying out official duties, security personnel, firearms stored in cars, and people whose homes or businesses are within 100 yards of election sites. Establish a gross misdemeanor for individuals who violate this prohibition. Upgrade to a felony any knowing violation of the prohibition when it is done with the specific intent to disrupt, interfere with, or monitor the administration of the election, the counting of votes, or any person who is voting or attempting to vote. In 2023, Jauregui introduced similar legislation (AB 354), which passed along party lines and was subsequently sent to Gov. Joe Lombardo, who vetoed it as part of a trio of other common-sense gun laws. Assembly Bill 105 recognizes the simple truth: voting is safer when firearms are not present. In fact, many states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington – already regulate the carrying of firearms at polling places. Additionally, firearms are prohibited in courthouses and other sensitive government buildings, reinforcing the principle that certain environments necessitate stricter standards for public safety. By keeping polling places free from the intimidation factor that firearms can present, Nevadans will be able to vote with confidence, free from the looming threat of violence. After all, polling places are where Americans exercise their most powerful democratic privilege: the freedom to cast a ballot and have their voice heard. AB 105 is a measured, necessary step toward safeguarding that right for everyone.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill seeks to ensure full refunds when utilities overcharge customers
Last week state utility regulators disclosed that over several years NV Energy overcharged more than 80,000 customers over $17 million, with only 20,000 receiving partial six-month refunds that amount to a fraction of what customers overpaid. (Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current)) Lawmakers are looking to pass a law that would require utilities to fully refund energy customers who are overcharged, closing loopholes that have allowed utilities to withhold full refunds from wronged customers. Assembly Bill 452, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May, would ensure customers receive full refunds with interest for overcharges, address high utility bills by shifting some cost volatility back to utilities, and extending regulatory timelines for rate case reviews. The bill comes after years of customer complaints detailing partial refunds by NV Energy which is only required to reimburse customers up to six months prior to the data the error is discovered in certain cases. Last week the bill became more relevant than ever after state utility regulators disclosed that over several years NV Energy overcharged more than 80,000 customers over $17 million, with only 20,000 receiving partial six-month refunds that amount to a fraction of what customers overpaid. Following the disclosure, NV Energy's president and CEO stepped down amid a call from regulatory staff at the Nevada Public Utilities Commission for an investigation into whether NV Energy used an inapplicable rule to cap refunds at six months. Several advocacy groups said the disclosure that the statewide electric utility overcharged tens of thousands of customers for years only highlighted the need for the bill's passage. 'It is outrageous that NV Energy would harm so many customers like this and not report it or fully repay them,' said Audrey Peral, program director of Chispa Nevada in a statement. 'Nevada lawmakers must pass Assembly Bill 452 quickly to protect utility customers from these kinds of abuses. Hard-working families can't keep paying the price for NV Energy's wrongdoing.' Under the bill, 'Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the Commission determines that a utility has charged a customer more than any applicable rate or tariff allows, the utility shall refund to the customer, with interest, the full amount of any overcharge.' The bill passed the Assembly on a 35-7 vote in April, with some bipartisan support. Under legislative deadlines, the bill would need to pass the Senate Friday. The bill is also supported by the Nevada Bureau of Consumer Protection, which said in a letter to lawmakers the bill would ensure 'a full and equitable refund to ratepayers who are unfairly overcharged.' However, the bill has been strongly opposed by NV Energy, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Ryan Bellows, the vice president of government and external relations at NV energy, told lawmakers last week that the statewide electric utility complies with Nevada Public Utilities Commission approved rules on customer refunds. 'The rule is that it's a six month payment back to the customer. We are currently communicating with the commission on this issue, on how to address and improve and correct this rule going forward,' Bellows said, adding that any changes to the rule is best left to utility regulators. The Nevada Public Utilities Commission disputes NV Energy's interpretation of the rules on customer refunds, telling lawmakers the issue is currently being examined by the Commission's consumer complaint resolution division. Garrett Weir, general counsel for the Nevada Public Utilities Commission, said the bill and 'the proposed change to statute would certainly clarify' the rules on customer refunds. NV Energy also opposes other aspects of the bill, especially language that would direct utility regulators to potentially adopt a fuel cost-sharing structure so ratepayers are not left covering the full cost of fuel price spikes caused by global events or weather disasters. 'It's our position that the adoption of fuel cost sharing would lead to increased costs for customers,' Bellows said. The bill would ask utility regulators to investigate how to best navigate energy price spikes and to study if fuel cost sharing is in the best interest of Nevadans and the utility. State energy regulators would submit a report on their investigation to the Interim Committee on Growth and Infrastructure by July 1, 2026. Nevada law prohibits utilities from profiting from fuel and purchased power costs, however in Nevada every dollar NV Energy spends to purchase fuel is passed fully through to customers. Fuel accounts for about one-third of NV Energy customer costs. Bellows argued revisions to price spike policies are unnecessary because NV Energy does not mark up purchases and the Public Utilities Commission has the authority to deny cost recovery for any purchases deemed imprudent. 'I would tell you that the purpose of this bill is really to prevent us from utilizing natural gas to serve our customers and to build out Nevada's energy infrastructure for economic development,' Bellows said. NV Energy is heavily reliant on out-of-state natural gas sources, which have seen sporadic but sharp price fluctuations in recent years. In 2022, the price it paid for natural gas — which accounts for more than half of Nevada's power supply — spiked by 70% in January 2023, according to NV Energy. Several unions and trades groups echoed concerns about the bill's potential negative impact on economic development and job opportunities, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Building and Construction Trades Council of Northern Nevada, and the National Electrical Contractors Association. Nevada residents who spoke in favor of the bill's language to investigate a potential cost-sharing structure highlighted the financial strain on families and seniors due to rising energy costs. 'I hear from families and seniors who are stretched to their breaking point by high energy bills. They're cutting back on life saving air conditioning, skipping meals, rationing medicine, and they're still falling behind. For those living on low income and fixed income, the cycle of high bills is relentless and dangerous,' said Mary House, co-founder of a local faith-based nonprofit community organization called Caring, Helping & Restoring Lives. Conservation groups and energy advocates emphasized the bill's potential to reduce high utility bills, promote clean energy, and ensure consumer protection. The bill is supported by Advanced Energy United, Western Resource Advocates, the Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, and the Sierra Club.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Clark County: Marijuana convictions should not automatically disqualify someone for fostering kids
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways (Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current) Clark County is making the case that Nevadans with non-violent marijuana convictions should not be automatically disqualified from becoming foster parents. 'Over the years we have lost qualified, caring individuals due to former criminal records, particularly from marijuana convictions related to possession that were over 20 years old or longer.' Ashley Kennedy, a lobbyist for Clark County, told state lawmakers. Such convictions 'no longer align with Nevada's current laws.' Assembly Bill 107, which the county requested, would change that. It would allow people convicted of marijuana possession for amounts that are currently legal to become foster parents. It would also remove the automatic ban on fostering for anyone with a marijuana-related conviction more than 5 years old and not related to selling. Currently, any conviction for possession, distribution or use of any controlled substance automatically disqualifies you from becoming a foster parent. AB107 would not change other licensing requirements for foster parents, which include training, background checks, home inspections and home studies. The bill, sponsored by Las Vegas Democratic Assemblymember Tracy Brown-May, received unanimous support from the Assembly and was heard by a Senate committee last week. Kennedy said Clark County does not have formal data on the number of people who have been turned away by its family services department for having prior marijuana convictions, but anecdotally they believe it to be 'at least 10 families a year.' She added that, while 10 may appear to be a small number, most foster care homes take in more than one child per year, meaning the impact is 'significantly larger.' Many foster homes also take in multiple kids at the same time, child advocates noted. The need for more foster care homes is great in Clark County and Nevada. 'In Clark County alone, we have over 3,000 children in foster care on any given day but fewer than 900 licensed foster homes,' said Kennedy. Republican Assemblymember Ken Gray, who signed on as a cosponsor of the bill, said it could be a 'game changer.' He added that Lyon County currently only has seven foster families. 'We have so few beds,' he said. 'Not only do these kids have to be taken away from their parents, they have to be taken away from their communities sometimes, and put in other counties and other schools. You're adding more damage on top of damage that's already been done.' He added, 'Even one or two homes in each county is going to make a significant difference.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Need for eviction assistance ‘is only going to get greater,' state lawmaker warns
(Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current) Anticipating growing economic hardship, state lawmakers are considering appropriating an additional $25 million in eviction diversion funds to prevent tenants who fall behind on rent from being locked out of their homes. Assembly Bill 475, heard Friday in the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, would appropriate $18 million to Clark County and $7 million to Reno to continue their ongoing eviction diversion programs. Tenants who qualify for the program are able to get outstanding rents paid and avoid an eviction. Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, the bill's sponsor, anticipated more people could be at risk of financial insecurity and eviction since 'the times we are living in are going to get more interesting.' 'There is a need for eviction support in our state, and I believe it's only going to get greater,' Monroe-Moreno said. Monroe-Moreno's concerns are shared throughout the nation and the world, as the trade war started by Donald Trump last week has led to historic nosedives in markets and increasing fears of a recession. Both Clark and Washoe counties have benefited from rental assistance dollars to divert people from evictions, said Jonathan Norman, statewide advocacy, outreach and policy director for Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers. Since pandemic-era rental assistance has scaled back, eviction diversion has been exclusive to people living with disabilities or who are elderly with fixed incomes. The $25 million request is higher than $18 million approved in 2023. 'The reason the ask is higher is because we want to expand beyond seniors and adults with disabilities to families with young kids,' Norman said. 'In Clark County, they identified about 1,600 families with a child under the age of one at risk for eviction. This would allow us to route those cases to eviction diversion as well.' Reno Judge Kendra Bertschy told lawmakers the proposed financial allocation is a 'crucial investment in community stability, public safety and responsible governance.' 'The need for legislative support for rental assistance remains urgent,' she said. 'Economic challenges, medical emergencies, and other unforeseen events continue to put renters at risk of eviction. Without continued funding, many will face housing insecurity, increasing the burden on emergency services, shelters and the judicial system ultimately costing taxpayers more.' Prior to the pandemic, the Las Vegas Justice Court averaged about 33,000 eviction cases filed each year, said Las Vegas Judge Jessica Goodey. There have been 'record high filings' and Las Vegas Justice Court had '43,030 evictions filed' in 2024,' she said. She didn't note how many evictions were granted in 2024. 'To date in 2025, we have had 9,985 evictions and we are anticipating that number to continue to increase with the current state of affairs,' Goodey said. From the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020, state and local governments have used federal relief dollars to help people at risk of eviction. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill in 2023 that would extend a modified version of an eviction protection passed by state lawmakers in 2021 that temporarily paused an eviction while rental assistance applications were pending. However, Lombardo approved Assembly Bill 396 in 2023 that allocated $18 million in rental assistance dollars. State lawmakers originally sought to approve $44 million for rental assistance in Clark and Washoe county with AB 396 in 2023. The amount was reduced to $12 million for Clark County and $3 million each for Reno and Sparks and Reno. The Las Vegas Justice Court used the funds to expand its existing eviction diversion program while Reno stood up a new eviction diversion program, Norman said. Of the cases going through the Vegas court, '1,375 diverted cases in 2024 were households with an adult with a disability and 575 were seniors,' he said. While he said Reno has offered rental assistance since the pandemic, it only recently started a housing justice court that offers an eviction diversion program. Since Reno's eviction diversion court started in August, '94 households went through the eviction diversion program with 80% of them remained housed,' Norman said. Without additional funds provided by the state, the program most likely won't be able to continue, Bertschy said. Republican Assemblymember P.K. O'Neill questioned if lawmakers were forgetting to allocate rental assistance support for rurals. When lawmakers were debating the 2023 allocations, rurals indicated they were still using ARPA dollars for rental support, Norman said. He said they indicated they wouldn't need additional funds through the legislature. Monroe-Moreno said she is looking into an amendment to include funding for rural areas. The committee took no action on the bill.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HOA bills range from displaying religious items to charging EVs
Nevada has 3,711 HOAs which represent the owners of 623,917 housing units – about half of the state's 1.3 million homes. (Photo: Ronda Churchill/Nevada Current) State lawmakers in Carson City are proposing a number of changes to laws governing the rights of homeowners in common-interest communities. Unlike the 2023 session, which featured measures designed to limit the rights of homeowners, the majority of bills this session seek to expand homeowners' rights. 'The bills are intended to be friendly, if they can get passed in their current form,' said Southern Highlands homeowner Michael Kosor, a frequent critic of HOA regulation. 'It's kind of a pushback on the industry lobby that's been in control. The industry could jump in with 'friendly' proposals and it will be exactly what homeowners don't need.' Nevada has 3,711 HOAs which represent the owners of 623,917 housing units – half of the state's 1.3 million homes, according to the state. Wielding powers generally reserved for government tribunals, HOAs can assess fines, deny property rights, and even foreclose. Critics contend the Nevada Real Estate Division (NRED), which regulates HOAs, is a smokescreen designed to do the bidding of the multi-million dollar industry it oversees, often at the expense of homeowners subject to HOA control. HOA–related bills this year include:The City of Henderson is sponsoring AB 10 to address repairs to water or sewer systems in common-interest communities. The city stepped in to repair a water leak last year at Somerset Park, a condominium complex. Homeowners now owe the city $8,000 each, according to news reports. The bill would amend state law to include water or sewer systems owned by a common-interest community as a 'neighborhood improvement project,' allowing HOAs to finance the cost of such repairs by levying assessments on individual unit owners. Nevada law currently requires an HOA board to solicit at least three bids, 'whenever reasonably possible,' for projects expected to exceed the cost of 3% of the association's annual budget in communities with 1,000 or more units, and by 1% of the annual budget in communities with less than 1,000 units. AB 129, sponsored by Assemblymember Jill Dickman, a Republican from Sparks, would require an association to solicit bids for all projects, unless undue delay could worsen the property damage or pose a risk of injury. It would also require an association to award the contract to the lowest bidder. In 2019, amid concerns about the independence of the Nevada Real Estate Division's (NRED) regulatory scheme, state lawmakers created a task force designed to address concerns about existing laws and bill drafts outside the time constraints of the Legislature, which meets every two years for 120 days. The task force had two meetings in 2020. It has not met since, It meets at the discretion of its chairman, Business and Industry Director Dr. Kristopher Sanchez. according to the state's website. Sanchez is the author of SB 78, which seeks to eliminate the task force and other boards and commissions, in line with Gov. Joe Lombardo's 2025 State of the State address, in which he promised 'to streamline' and 'consolidate' state boards and commissions. Sanchez 'has expressed a willingness to reconvene a meeting of the taskforce during the first quarter of 2025,' NRED's spokesperson said last month. No meeting has been scheduled, according to the task force's website. Advocates for HOA regulatory reform suggest the state fears an open discussion via the task force would expose flaws in the regulatory scheme. Jim Sweetin, who Lombardo appointed to the state's Commission for Common-Interest Communities and Condominium Hotels (CIC) last year, told the Current last month that he was unaware of the task force's pending demise. 'My opinion is that that task force falls under the jurisdiction of the Committee of the CIC,' he said. 'They report back.' Kosor says Sanchez is calling to abolish the task force 'knowing owners will be left with no advocate while NRED, Nevada's sole HOA regulator, is captured by the very industry players it is tasked to regulate.' Sen. Dina Neal, a Democrat from North Las Vegas, is sponsoring SB 121, which addresses landscaping and late fees. The measure would prohibit HOA boards and governing documents from requiring a homeowner to landscape their backyard sooner than 36 months after the close of escrow. The measure also allows an HOA to require a homeowner to install 'a thin layer of rock in the backyard' not sooner than 18 months after the close of escrow. The bill also prohibits an association from assessing a late fee sooner than 30 days after an obligation becomes past due, and from reporting a past due obligation to an agency that assembles or evaluates credit. Should the measure pass, an HOA would also be prohibited from assessing a fine against a homeowner for an oil stain that is not located on the unit's driveway. The legislation would prohibit an association from restricting vehicles with commercial advertisements from parking in the community, unless the ad contains 'a sexual portrayal' or depicts an image relating to the sale of a controlled substance. Finally, SB 121 would require HOA boards to notify residents by email, if available, and by posting notifications within the community, when management contracts are terminated. Sen. James Ohrenschall, a Democrat from Las Vegas, is sponsoring SB 152, which seeks to override prohibitions on installing electric vehicle charging stations in common interest communities where they are currently prohibited. EV charging stations would be permitted in areas over which a homeowner has exclusive use, and in some cases, in a common area. The bill authorizes an association to contract for the installation or maintenance of an EV charging station in a common area, and provides that installation and maintenance of an EV charging station in a common area shall not be deemed a change in use, a commercial use, or a capital improvement. Opponents who spoke with the Current complained the bill would authorize an association to contract for installation, a capital improvement, and maintenance of charging stations in common areas, without a vote of homeowners. The measure seeks to restrict prohibitions on owners and occupants of units in common interest communities from displaying religious items. The bill defines 'display of religious items' as items displayed or affixed on an entry door or door frame because of sincerely held religious beliefs. The measure has widespread bipartisan support, with seven sponsors and 13 co-sponsors. A measure sponsored by Sen. Carrie Buck, a Republican from Henderson, and Sen. Jeff Stone, a Republican also from Henderson, would pull back the curtains, with some exceptions, on complaints previously kept confidential following investigation by the Nevada Real Estate Division (NRED) of the Department of Business and Industry. Nevada law currently requires that complaints filed with NRED for investigation of possible violations of law are confidential. SB 221 would render the complaints and supporting documentation of information compiled as the result of an investigation as public records. HOA members allege complaints filed with NRED fall into a regulatory black hole, with little to nothing known about their disposition. Buck is also sponsoring SB 222, which authorizes HOA members to record board meetings by 'the use of any means.' Current law allows a homeowner in a common-interest community to record HOA board meetings if they provide notice of their intent to do so. SB 222 allows a homeowner to record board meetings by 'the use of any means of audio or video recording or reproduction.' The measure does not allow the recording of executive sessions, in which executive board members discuss sensitive issues such as personnel matters.
