Latest news with #SilverStateEquality
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lombardo vetoes trans protections bills, in contrast to previous session
Transgender rights activists and supporters participate in the Trans Day Of Visibility rally on the National Mall on March 31, 2025 in Washington City. (Photo by) Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed two bills this week that would have enshrined a shield law for health care providers who offer gender-affirming care and ensured protections for transgender people incarcerated at local jails. The vetoes come as President Donald Trump, who Lombardo supported in the election, has escalated attacks against the LGBTQ+ community in the first few months of his second term and issued several anti-trans orders, including one that blocked federal support for gender-affirming medical care to patients younger than 19. The governor 'turned his back on LGBTQ+ Nevadans and their families—vetoing two critical protections just days into Pride Month,' Silver State Equality State Director André Wade said in a statement. 'These bills would have provided critical protections to transgender people seeking healthcare and their medical providers, as well as to transgender people in our criminal justice system.' To the surprise of many LGBTQ organizers, Lombardo in 2023 signed legislation that prevented insurance companies from discriminating against trans people on the basis of gender identity and required the Nevada Department of Corrections to adopt regulations to protect trans and gender-nonconforming people in prison. The move at the time made him an outlier among Republican governors and legislatures, which have supported and passed bills targeting the trans and queer community. Gender-affirming care is supported by a variety of health providers and medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. But it has been a high-profile target, and several states, including Utah, have banned it. Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall has said prohibiting gender-affirming care will 'not only harm transgender individuals but create a climate of fear and uncertainty for health care providers who offer gender-affirming health care services.' Nevada law doesn't restrict medically necessary gender-affirming care, but many LGBTQ advocates and medical providers, including pediatricians, worried bans in other states could prevent trans youth from seeking care and doctors from providing it in Nevada. Ohrenschall brought legislation in 2023 that sought to enact a shield law for medical providers in Nevada but Lombardo vetoed the bill. With Senate Bill 171, Ohrenschall used the same language from the 2023 bill to yet again try to bolster protections for medical providers who offer gender-affirming care. It would have prevented a medical licensing board from punishing or disqualifying providers. The bill passed both the Senate and Assembly in party line votes. 'This bill was a clear opportunity to ensure that transgender Nevadans can access the care they need—and that providers can offer it without fear of legal retaliation,' Wade said. 'Transgender people in Nevada deserve safety, dignity, and access to life-saving health care. The Governor's decision puts all of that at risk.' In his veto message, Lombardo wrote that the bill 'would lead to complicated legal battles and uncertainty about what laws providers must follow' and put medical 'licensing boards in the awkward position of navigating potentially conflicting mandates in federal and state law.' The message was similar to his 2023 veto. The second trans bill vetoed by Lombardo, Senate Bill 141 would have required local detention facilities to develop policies that address the custody, housing, medical and mental health treatment of transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex people incarcerated. Democratic state Sen. Melanie Scheible, who sponsored the bill, said during its hearing it was similar to legislation she brought in 2023 that required prisons to enact similar policies for trans people who were incarcerated. Lombardo signed that bill. All 15 Assembly Republicans joined Democrats to unanimously pass SB 141, but the Senate voted along party lines. In his veto message Lombardo acknowledged that he did 'which authorized the Director of the Department of Corrections to implement similar policies through regulation with Board of Prison Commissioners' approval.' 'Federal authority in this space is potentially evolving and, if altered, could conflict with the provisions of this bill leading to decreased state and local access to vital federal funding,' he wrote.
USA Today
04-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Nevada progressive groups outline several legislative priorities
Nevada progressive groups outline several legislative priorities Some of Nevada's progressive organizers advocated for protections for health providers offering gender affirming care, pushed to revive failed eviction reforms, and called on lawmakers to address 'skyrocketing utilities bills' ahead of the first day of the 2025 Legislative Session. Progressive groups including Battle Born Progress, the Nevada Housing Justice Alliance and Silver State Equality outlined several legislative priorities during a Monday morning press conference, according to Nevada Current. While Republican lawmakers across the country, including President Donald Trump, have increased attacks on trans rights and targeted access to gender-affirming care, groups called on state officials to expand LGBTQ+ protections. Jessica Munger, Project Manager of Silver State Equality, said LGBTQ+ groups are working with lawmakers to advocate for bills to protect and 'support all Nevadans freedoms, especially bodily autonomy and access to information.' Gov. Joe Lombardo signed several trans protections, including preventing insurance companies from discriminating against trans people on the basis of gender identity, into law during the 2023 session. However, it is unclear how he will respond to legislation strengthening LGBTQ+ protections this session. Munger said they are working with Democratic state Sen. James Ohrenschall on a shield law for medical providers 'legally practicing in our state, including those providing medically necessary life-saving care to trans and gender diverse youth with parental involvement and consent.' Other proposals Munger pointed to include a bill backed by Democratic state Sen. Melanie Scheible to enhance non-discrimination language for gender identity and expression in the Nevada Affordable Care Act exchange, and legislation they are working with Assemblywoman Brittney Miller on to prevent 'authoritarian book bans in our state' State legislatures and local officials have increased efforts to restrict books that include information on the LGBTQ+ community. 'We believe that censoring the public's access to information is antithetical to a free and open society,' Munger said. 'It restricts free expression and it disenfranchises marginalized populations who already feel disconnected and unseen.' None of the language for the bills has been released yet. Nevada, like most states, has been contending with a housing shortage and skyrocketing rents, exacerbating a homelessness crisis. Ben Iness, the coalition coordinator for the Nevada Housing Justice Alliance, wants lawmakers to reconsider failed bills around unregulated rental fees and overhauling the eviction process. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a swath of legislation last session including bills that extend rent stabilization for seniors, reform the state's rapid eviction process, and placed modest regulations on rental application fees. Democrats failed to pass a similar bill offering modest regulations on application fees or reform the eviction process in 2021 when they had control of both chambers and the governorship. Despite previous failed attempts, Iness said housing organizers are working with lawmakers to bring back legislation to address the eviction process and bolster tenant protections. Many Nevadans are forced to choose between paying for 'life-saving medications' and 'skyrocketing utility bills and navigating soaring rent,' said Mathilda Guerrero Miller, the government relations director of Native Voters Alliance NV. With the climate crisis pushing summers to record-breaking heat, she warned more people would die without more accountability. 'Every summer, record-breaking heat puts lives on the line,' she said. 'Every winter, some families are forced to choose between heat and other necessities. That's unacceptable. No Nevadan should ever have to face a utility shut off during extreme weather.' Utilities in Nevada can't shut off customer power once temperatures hit 105 degrees but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notes that prolonged temperatures between 90 – 105 degrees are known to cause heat exhaustion. Lawmakers announced recently they are working on legislation to prevent utility shut offs in the summer months and to reduce the heat island effect. Guerrero Miller said it's not about party lines but about 'doing what is right.' 'To our lawmakers and to the governor, if you stand here today claiming to serve the people of Nevada, then prove it, pass these bills, stand with our communities,' Miller said.
