A school anti-bullying bill, strongly supported by Gov. Brian Sandoval, has passed in the state Assembly by an overwhelming 36-6 vote, and now heads to the governors desk for his signature.
Senate Bill 504 creates the Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment within the Department of Education. It also sets specific requirements on how school officials must deal with incidents of bullying. Administrators, principals and other school officials who knowingly or willfully fail to meet the requirements could be subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal.
The anti-bullying campaign is part of the Republican governor’s education agenda. His budget includes a new program called Social Workers in Schools, which would provide $36 million in grants to combat bullying. Another $300,000 in each of the next two years is also included in the governor’s budget to establish the Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment.
The bill includes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Nevada will become the 20th state plus the District of Columbia to have specific laws that protect LGBT students from bullying.
In the aftermath of Indiana and Arkansas seeing public outrage over so-called “religious freedom” legislation, Nevada lawmakers have wisely decided to step away from similar legislation.
And it wasn’t just the last week’s news that helped kill the Nevada bill.
“The Governor believes that this bill is not necessary because the interests of all Nevadans are protected under current law,” Mari St. Martin, spokeswoman for Gov. Brian Sandoval said Thursday night.
Even the bill sponsors are backing away from it.
“After careful reflection and consultation with legislative counsel, I have determined that Nevada’s Constitution already contains adequate safeguards and protections for the civil liberties of Nevada’s citizens, and further legislative emphasis of these rights would be unnecessary,” freshman legislator and Assembly Judiciary Committee Vice Chairman Erven Nelson, R-Las Vegas, said Thursday.
The reaction to Indiana’s legislation was a factor in deciding to withdraw the bill, Nelson said.
“We obviously do not want to have happen in Nevada what’s been threatened to happen in Indiana as far as a boycott and things like that.”
Running down the list, that’s Indiana, Arkansas, Georgia and Nevada all turning back the hate.
My life’s work has been to make Nevada and our nation better. Thank you for giving me that wonderful opportunity. https://t.co/dwy2rDWYhO — Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) March 27, 2015
Sen. Reid has endorsed NY Sen. Chuck Schumer to replace him as Minority Leader in the Senate.
Before the big event! Top L to R – Greg Chase, Michael Caprio, me, Jeff Pressner, Mindy and Gia
What a terrific afternoon on the Las Vegas Strip where I attended my first same-sex marriage in Nevada since marriage equality has come to the state.
Our dear friends Mindy and Gia had a fun, fab, intimate ceremony in a suite on the top floor of the Flamingo Las Vegas conducted by our partner-in-crime and Las Vegas’ favorite wedding officiant Greg Chase.
Gia and Mindy do everything first class, so a great time was had by all. How wonderful that couples can celebrate these life events so openly and freely and LEGALLY now 🙂
Congrats to the fab couple! Thanks for letting us share your day!
A Tiffany cake? – is that cool or what?
Gia and Mindy receiving even more flowers, these from none other than Olivia Newton-John
On this day 150 years ago, the great state of Nevada became the 36th to join the Union.
Nevada Day is celebrated to encourage folks to understand Nevada’s history and offers a chance to reflect on my homestate’s pioneer spirit. (I like to think I’m a pioneer in one way or another).
From NV Sen. Harry Reid:
In 1864, as the Civil War dragged on, many in Congress were in a rush to grant statehood to Nevada and did not want to wait until the next session of Congress. A new state would help swing that year’s president election towards President Lincoln and provide crucial votes for passage of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
On March 21, 1864, in the waning hours of the 38th Congress, Congress passed legislation allowing Nevada to join the Union once voters passed and President Lincoln approved a state constitution. It was not the normal course of business. Typically Congress would get the final word on admission of a new state to the Union, but as the country was in the midst of the Civil War, these were not normal times.
Nevada voters approved a state constitution on October 31, 1864, and President Lincoln proclaimed statehood. Today, we acknowledge Nevada’s unique path to statehood on our state flag with the words “Battle Born.”
Even before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Nevada’s same-sex marriage ban, Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval had made clear that he would not appeal the ruling should the anti-gay law be found unconstitutional.
Sandoval and the state’s Attorney General didn’t even defend the law in the 9th. Due to “heightened scrutiny” required in cases involving sexual orientation, he and AG Catherine Cortez Masto admitted the law could not be defended.
True to his word, when the unanimous ruling was handed down by the 3 judge panel of the 9th Circuit, Sandoval said “done,” allowing gays and lesbians to begin marrying.
However, the folks over at the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage – the same group that got the law on the ballot back in 2002 – jumped in and defended the law in the 9th Circuit. And, of course, lost.
Now the Coalition is requesting the 9th Circuit consider re-hearing the lawsuit en banc, which would mean a panel of 11 judges versus the normal 3 judge panel which has already heard the case.
En banc reviews are difficult to get as a majority of the Court’s 29 judges have to agree to consider the case.
University of California, Irvine, law professor Doug Nejaime told the Washington Blade, “Given the Supreme Court’s action a couple weeks ago, there may not be many judges that want to spend resources reviewing the panel decision. And then there is certainly reason, given that Perry [the case that struck down California’s Proposition 8] was also decided in the Ninth Circuit, to think a different result is unlikely.”
In a short statement on Wednesday, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Sandoval said Nevada opposes the attempt by the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage to appeal the ruling, and hopes such opposition will lead to closure on the issue.
Via Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist and commentator David Horsey
After the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found Nevada’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, gay and lesbian couples have been legally allowed to marry in the state.
But according to a recent news investigation, some Las Vegas wedding chapels are refusing to perform the nuptials based on religious beliefs.
After making calls to about 15 wedding chapels, 8 News NOW found that several of them refused to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples.
The Elvis Wedding Chapel, which welcomes traditional and Elvis-themed weddings, said they wouldn’t marry same-sex couples. However, when the 8 News Now cameras were rolling as we tried to get their stance on camera, they refused to open the door.
“I’m not going to tell you,” David with the Elvis Wedding Chapel said, “It just — there is no story here.”
Dolly Deleon, the owner of the Vegas Wed Chapel, said she’s a born-again believer in Jesus.
“My faith won’t allow me,” Deleon said.
She did not know that a couple who is turned away based on race, sex, or sexual orientation could file charges against her. That could then lead to a misdemeanor arrest.
“I would be a hypocrite if I said I’m a Bible-believing person and yet I would perform marriage that believe is solely against God’s law,” Deleon said.
Because nothing says “sanctity of marriage” like being married by an Elvis impersonator, right?
The problem for businesses like Vegas Wed Chapel is that in 2011, sexual orientation was added to the state’s public accommodation law making it a misdemeanor offense for businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
“The difference between a church and a place of worship and a wedding chapel, is that a wedding chapel is a business so that is covered under the Public Accommodations Law of Nevada,” said Tod Story, ACLU.
“Any Las Vegas wedding chapel that operates as a business is covered under Nevada’s public accommodations law and is not allowed to discriminate against same-sex couples seeking a wedding ceremony, or any other couple for that matter,” says Tod Story, executive director for the ACLU of Nevada. “Currently, the way the law is written, it’s a misdemeanor crime. Any couple refused service has to file a complaint with the state. … [Vegas Wed] has turned away couples. I don’t know if [those couples] even knew there was a law that protected them.”
The news isn’t all bad though. Gay partners Jamie Richards and Ron DeCar own and operate the Viva Las Vegas chapel in Las Vegas, and have in the business of same-sex ceremony packages since 1999, even though they were not legally binding.
“From Day One we were doing commitment ceremonies,” Richards told the Daily Beast. “I worked at the MGM (Grand) years ago when you literally went to board meetings and stuff, and nobody could know you were gay. And now all the hotels embrace the gay population, and they embrace the gay dollar. It’s got to help the economy.”
According to the AP, the group the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage on Thursday filed documents with the high court and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
There is no longer any formal opposition in court to gay marriage in Nevada.
Coalition lawyer Monte Neil Stewart declined to say why.
Inspired by the news that the 9th Circuit Court had found Nevada’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, Nevada State Senator Kelvin Atkinson proposed to his boyfriend Sherwood Howard.
Atkinson told CNN, his proposal “just came out…I proposed to him on stage in front of everyone:”
