Latest news with #SelenaLaRueHatch
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Proposed paid family and medical leave bill would benefit estimated 1 million Nevada workers
Democratic Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch during a hearing on paid family and medical leave. (Legislative stream screengrab) Nevada lawmakers are considering vastly expanding access to paid family and medical leave, though the proposal faces harsh opposition from business and industry groups. Democratic Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch's Assembly Bill 388 would require private employers with more than 50 workers, as well as all public employers, to provide paid family and medical leave. The bill was heard by the Assembly Committee on Revenue on Wednesday. Only 4% of businesses employ more than 50 workers, according to La Rue Hatch, who attributed the figure to research by the Legislative Counsel Bureau, but that 4% of businesses employ nearly 1 million Nevadans — more than 60% of the state's workforce. In 2023, the Legislature established paid family and medical leave for state employees. La Rue Hatch described this year's AB388, as 'a natural next step' to ensure nearly a million Nevadans are able to address their own and their family's medical needs. Twelve assemblymembers and one state senator have signed on as additional sponsors. La Rue Hatch, a public school teacher in Northern Nevada, shared with the committee that in November she had jaw surgery that required six weeks of recovery. Public school teachers are not covered by the state's existing mandated paid family and medical leave law, so she relied on a union-negotiated program where members can donate their paid time off to others who need it. Most Nevada workers don't have access to an option like that, she added, and instead are left with options that lead to financial hardship. They return to work prematurely after giving birth, leave the workforce entirely to provide unpaid care to elderly parents, wrack up additional debt during extensive cancer treatments, or forgo needed medical procedures because they know they can't afford not to work while recovering. The United States is one of only six countries that does not have a national guaranteed, comprehensive paid leave program. Thirteen states have comprehensive, mandatory state paid family and medical leave. Most offer the benefit through pooled payroll taxes paid by employers and/or employees, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. La Rue Hatch told the committee she didn't believe Nevada was open to that approach. Under her bill, Nevada employers would be required to offer it as a benefit after 90 days of employment. The leave would be available for specific purposes, such as the birth or adoption of a child, treatment of a serious illness, or caring for a family member who is seriously ill. There are also specific provisions for victims of domestic abuse and families dealing with military deployment. Workers who earn up to 110% of the state's average weekly wage — about $1,200 per week or $57,000 annually — would receive 100% of their paycheck for up to 12 weeks. Workers who earn more than that would receive 60% of their wage or 60% of 150% of the state's average weekly wage, whichever is less. (That 150% threshold currently translates to workers who make about $1,600 a week or $78,000 annually.) La Rue Hatch said the sliding scale and cap acknowledges that the lowest wage earners may not be able to survive off only part of their paycheck. AB388 is supported by numerous unions and worker advocacy groups, including the Communication Workers, SEIU, AFSCME, Washoe Education Association and Make It Work Nevada. 'Employees and workers are people,' said Erika Washington, executive director of Make it Work Nevada. 'They are human beings… We believe that being able to support, advocate, love and support our families is indeed a human right and a reproductive justice issue. Everyone has somebody they would drop everything for, and it's our responsibility to care for our families and each other.' Ben Challinor with the Alzheimer's Association testified that paid family and medical leave could benefit the estimated 84,000 Nevadans who provide unpaid care for someone living with Alzheimer's or dementia. Business groups, including the Vegas Chamber, Nevada Resort Association, Retail Association of Nevada, and several chambers of commerce, are opposed to the bill, arguing they oppose mandates that force solutions that need to be addressed business by business. They also claimed it will drive up costs for business. 'If the government of the State of Nevada believes it is important to pay people in this state to not work for 3 months, then the State of Nevada can pay for that,' said Tray Abney, Nevada state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). He continued: 'Bills with incredibly large fiscal notes or impacts to the state budget have a very hard time getting passed out of here. We don't always seem to have the same concern for the fiscal notes that affect private sector job creators.' In her closing remarks, La Rue Hatch argued that paid family and medical leave is an economic benefit that pays itself off in increased productivity and less turnover at business. 'Ikea offers 16 weeks' of paid family and medical leave, she said. 'CitiBank, 16 weeks. Bank of America, 16 weeks. Google, 18 weeks paid leave after 90 days of employment. Huge corporations making significant profits have figured out how to take care of workers. It is not mutually exclusive.'
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
As time change nears, Nevada considers opting out of daylight savings
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Don't have a heart attack, but daylight saving time is less than two weeks away. If a Nevada lawmaker has her way, it will be the last time the state 'springs ahead.' Citing a study that suggests cardiac arrest incidents spike on the Monday following the time change, Democratic Assem. Selena La Rue Hatch is sponsoring Assembly Bill 81 (AB81). Heart attacks aren't the only reason it's an issue that's gaining national attention. Representatives hear about it often from constituents who don't see the point, and even President Donald Trump has supported the end of daylight saving time. 'These are not just folks that are upset about losing an hour of sleep or having to change their clocks,' La Rue Hatch said Monday as she presented the 'lock the clock' act to the Assembly Government Affairs Committee. She said Democrats and Republicans alike are on board. 'There are documented negative health effects that come from observing daylight savings time and changing our clocks twice a year. We know that in the weeks following the clock change there are worsened health impacts. Strokes, heart attacks go up, digestive issues increase, medical outcomes are worsened. And in fact, many health organizations endorse permanent standard time as being more natural, more in line with our circadian rhythm and healthier for our bodies,' La Rue Hatch said. The bill wouldn't stop daylight saving time from coming on Sunday, March 9, 2025, but when Nevada 'falls back' to standard time on Nov. 2, the state would remain on permanent standard time. There's national support to go permanently to daylight saving time, but federal law prohibits that. States are only allowed to opt out of daylight saving time. Several states are already fighting that fight. La Rue Hatch cited a Michigan study that found a 24% increase in cardiac events on the Monday following the time change. But there's a separate study by the Mayo Clinic that shows only minimal effects across a sample of more than 36 million people. End to daylight saving time among bills for 2025 Nevada Legislature She also cited mental health impacts — anxiety and depression. And while she sees that as a teacher, La Rue Hatch said it's also a factor on the job and on the roads, where car crashes increase. 'We have measurable productivity decreases when we change the clocks,' she said. Nevada wouldn't be the first state to opt out. Arizona did it in 1968 and Hawaii did it in 1967. There's a growing chorus in support of the change in California, Oregon and Idaho. Utah is one of the states fighting to go to daylight saving time permanently. If a patchwork of states make the change, it could confuse travelers who already have trouble keeping track of time zones. Those time zones don't adhere to straight lines on a map. Nevada is on Pacific Time along with California, Washington, most of Oregon and northern Idaho. Neighboring Utah and Arizona are on Mountain time, one hour earlier, along with Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, portions of five other states — and one county in eastern Oregon. When Arizona remains on standard time and Nevada observes daylight time, the clocks in the two states are the same. La Rue Hatch said old reasoning that the time change helped farmers and ranchers really isn't a factor these days. 'As someone who grew up on a ranch, let me tell you, the cows are getting up at the same time, no matter what the clock says,' she said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Union workers written up, fired for using sick days; Nevada lawmaker moves to close loophole
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Some union workers are afraid to use sick days because they might be written up or fired for being 'undependable,' and now a Nevada lawmaker is coming to their aid. A 2019 law that guaranteed paid leave for employees has been weaponized by companies that are exploiting a loophole in the language. Now, Democratic Assem. Selena La Rue Hatch is sponsoring Assembly Bill 179 (AB179) to close that loophole related to workers under collective bargaining agreements. The law was written with the intent of guaranteeing time off for employees. A woman who has worked for a company for nearly 14 years told her story in Carson City on Friday. Amanda Whitten, a member of Teamsters Local 553, described her ordeal. Along with other employees at a company that was not named, she has been written up every time she used a sick day in recent years. 'In July 2024, I had to use a sick day and received a discharge letter as I was deemed a dependability issue,' Whitten said. 'Prior to that, I hadn't used a sick day since 2023, December, almost 9 months.' Nevada lawmakers seek LGBTQ+ landmark status for Las Vegas 'Fruit Loop' After the first year of employment, the company gave workers nine sick days per year. 'I had a full bank of sick days meant for emergencies. But now I constantly worry needing to take time off for myself or my elementary-aged daughter who — like most kids her age — is prone to getting sick.' When she used sick time in October due to severe stomach flu, she got another discharge letter. She still has her job, but she's worried about the discharges on her record, and she sees her co-workers coming to work sick all the time. Proposed $500,000 fund would help victims of investment schemes in Nevada A Teamsters union representative told lawmakers that workers think they don't have the right to call in sick anymore. Union members turned out to testify in support of AB179. The Vegas Chamber and the Nevada Resort Association opposed the bill. A representative with the Nevada Contractors Board said the bill needs to be adjusted to ensure employers subject to collective bargaining agreements don't have to pay for the time off twice. The Nevada Hospital Association argued that businesses — and hospitals in particular — need the ability to apply progressive discipline for absences, calling it a patient safety issue. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmaker hopes to extend paid family leave law to Nevada's private sector
Assemblymember Selena La Rue Hatch during the 2023 Legislative Session. (Photo by Trevor Bexon for Nevada Current) Only a fraction of Nevadans work for an employer that is required to offer paid family and medical leave, but one state lawmaker is hoping that might change this year. Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch last week announced she submitted a bill draft request aimed at expanding the availability of paid family and medical leave in Nevada. In 2023, state lawmakers unanimously approved a bill establishing up to eight weeks of paid family and medical leave for state employees. Employees, who must meet certain qualifications, are paid 50% of their regular wages. 'My goal is just to build on that work and continue expanding the number of people eligible, as well as (expanding) the types of leave that are available,' La Rue Hatch told the Nevada Current. Specifics — such as who would be eligible for the leave, how many weeks of leave they would be eligible for, and what percentage of their wages they could receive — are still being worked out, La Rue Hatch said, but the idea is to expand the availability of paid family and medical leave to additional public employees and those in the private sector. She expects it to match or exceed what last session's bill established for state employees. La Rue Hatch, a public teacher within the Washoe County School District, is among the tens of thousands of public employees in Nevada who were not covered by last session's bill. But she says her desire to tackle the issue was driven by conversations with constituents about how the lack of paid family and medical leave was causing financial and emotional hardships. 'I talked to a (University of Nevada Reno) student who had to go back to work within just a couple of weeks of giving birth and has serious health complications that came from that,' she said. 'I've had students (whose) family members have had serious, long-term illnesses and their parents can't take off to care for them.' She added, 'This is a real issue that is affecting people across the state.' The Reno Democrat intends her paid leave bill to cover post-birth recovery and bonding time for new parents, as well as time caring for ill family members. She also wants to include paid leave for victims of stalking or sexual assault and exigency leave for members of the military. Nevada does not have broad paid family and medical leave requirements for private employers. The state is only five years into requiring large employers provide any kind of accrued paid time off. In 2023, state lawmakers passed a bill requiring businesses receiving tax abatements through the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) to offer paid family and medical leave. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed the bill, but its provisions were resurrected and made law as part of a special session bill that gave $380 million in public subsidies to the Athletics for a baseball stadium on the Las Vegas Strip. That paid family and medical leave requirement, which only applies to businesses with at least 50 employees, requires the businesses to offer at least 55% of a worker's salary for up to 12 weeks. Leaders from GOED in spring of last year told lawmakers the requirement has brought 'some headwinds' and resulted in at least one company not relocating to Southern Nevada. According to GOED's most recent annual report, more than half of the companies that have received abatements from the State of Nevada since 2012 had fewer than 50 employees, and 14 of the 25 companies approved for abatements in 2023 planned to have fewer than 50 employees. Chambers of commerce and businesses typically oppose legislation mandating paid family and medical leave. 'With any bill in the Legislature, there's always opposition,' said La Rue Hatch of potential pushbacks to her proposal. 'My door is always open for folks that want to come talk about that. But I will say, 13 other states have paid family medical leave and businesses are operating just fine in those other states.' Feb. 5 marked the 32nd anniversary of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, better known as FMLA, which protects many employees from losing their job while taking up to 12 weeks leave after qualifying events, like giving birth or needing to take care of an ill family member. FMLA only requires unpaid leave, and generally only applies to employees who've worked at least a year at a business with more than 50 workers. According to a report released this month by the National Partnership for Women & Families, nearly half of all workers nationwide, and 66% of workers in Nevada, are ineligible for FMLA. The United States is one of only six countries that does not have a national guaranteed, comprehensive paid leave program. Several groups expressed early support for La Rue Hatch's legislation. 'Nevadans have family members who need or will need care in the future and worrying about having to choose between your job or family member is a choice no one should have to make,' said Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez in a statement. Mi Familia Vota Civic Engagement Director William Moore noted that 'Latinos have significantly less access to paid family leave compared to other groups in Nevada.' Amy-Marie Merrell, co-executive director of The Cupcake Girls, a nonprofit that assists sex workers and survivors of sex trafficking, said a lack of paid family leave creates financial hardships that traffickers exploit. 'When workers–especially parents, caregivers, and survivors–have access to paid leave, they can recover from medical issues, bond with their children, and care for their families without falling into financial crisis,' she said in a statement. 'This helps break cycles of poverty and exploitation, making communities safer and more resilient.' Representatives from the Children's Advocacy Alliance, Northern Nevada Central Labor Council, SEIU Local 1107, Nevada State Education Association, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also expressed support for paid family and medical leave.
