Summary
The Nevada onAir Hub is managed by students supporting Nevadans to become more informed about and engaged in local, state, and federal politics while facilitating more civil and positive discussions with their representatives, candidates, and fellow citizens.
- Nevada onAir is one of 50 state governance and elections hubs that the US onAir Network is providing to help reinvigorate US democracy. This post has short summaries of current state and federal representatives with links to their complete Hub posts. Students curate post content from government, campaign, social media, and public websites. Key content on the Nevada Hub is also replicated on the US onAir nations Hub at: us.onair.cc.
- Nevada students will be forming onAir chapters in their colleges and universities to help curate Hub content. As more students participate and more onAir chapters are started, we will expand to include more state and local content as well as increase the number of aircasts – student-led, livestreamed, online discussions with candidates, representatives, and the public.
Find out more about Who Represents Me in Nevada
Learn more about the US onAir Network
News
he base content in each post in this Nevada onAir Hub has been updated as of 12/20/23. In addition to the eight posts on the home page, in depth posts on each US House member and posts on Nevada government and elections have been started. These posts have been shared with the US onAir Hub and will updated in the US onAir automatically when they are updated in this hub.
If your university or nonpartisan organization (such as a government focused research center, citizen engagement program or a League of Women Voters chapter) is interested in assisting the US onAir network to help curate new issue posts or other posts on this Hub and moderate the forums in each post, contact Ben Murphy at Ben.Murphy@onair.cc.
We are also supporting college students to start an onAir chapter on the their campus to coordinate the curation and moderation of posts especially on state and local representatives and government.
About
All hub content in onAir hubs is free to the public. Hub ontent is under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license which permits content sharing and adaptation by nonprofit organizations as long as proper attribution is given to its author(s) and is used for non-commercial purposes. Content and moderation guidelines reinforce our commitment to fact-based, comprehensive content and civil and honest discourse.
To participate in aircast and post discussions, email usdemocracy@onair.cc and include your first name last name, and zipcode. Your real name and any other profile information will not be displayed unless you choose to do so. Your personal information is not shared with any other website or organization.
Hub membership will enable you to:
- Participate in issue and interview aircasts (student-led livestreamed discussions);
- Interact directly with post authors and curators giving them feedback, content suggestions, and asking questions;
- Ask questions, make suggestions, and give endorsement to representatives
Democracy promoting Nonprofits
League of Women Voters of Southern Nevada -Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy.
The League of Women Voters of Southern Nevada is a political grassroots network and membership organization that believes the freedom to vote is a nonpartisan issue. For more than a century, we’ve worked to empower voters and defend democracy. As a women-led organization, we encourage everyone to take part in our democracy.
The League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada
Free news sources
Nevada Current is a nonprofit online source of political and policy news and commentary. We seek to:
Demonstrate how policies, institutions and systems make life harder for Nevadans than it needs to be;
Document how things got that way, and;
Explore what it might take to fix them.
The Current is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Current retains editorial independence.
Vegas PBS
Vegas PBS is a member-supported public television service providing educational content for over 50 years. We build community through television, education services, and unique experiences that create a sense of place, civic and social capital. The station offers three unique secondary channels: Create, VEGAS PBS KIDS, and WORLD. In collaboration with community partners, we create award-winning content that examines informational, cultural, historic, and educational regional issues.
Web Links
State Representatives
Governor Steve Sisolak
Current Position: Sheriff, Clark County
Affiliation: Republican
Candidate: 2023 Governor
Former Position: Army veteran
Joseph Michael Lombardo (born November 8, 1962) is an American law enforcement officer who is serving as the 17th sheriff of Clark County, the head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), the combined law enforcement agency for Las Vegas and Clark County. Lombardo has held this office since 2015.[1][2][3][4] He is a member of the Republican Party.[5]
Lombardo is not running for re-election as Clark County Sheriff and is instead the Republican nominee for the 2022 Nevada gubernatorial election. Former Nevada Lieutenant Governor Mark Hutchison serves as campaign chairman for Lombardo’s gubernatorial campaign.
OnAir Post: Joe Lombardo – NV
US Representatives
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Current Position: US Senator since 2017
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: Nevada attorney general from 2006 – 2014
Masto worked four years as a civil attorney in Las Vegas and two years as a criminal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C.
Masot became the first woman elected to represent Nevada in the Senate and the first Latina elected to serve in the upper chamber. In November 2003, Cortez Masto was named executive vice chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Quotes:
Wildfires are devastating the West, and today I joined @ClimatePower and @ChiefDave_RFD
to call for action on climate. I’m leading legislation in Congress to combat wildfires back home, but it’s going to take all of us to address the climate crisis and protect our planet.
Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s full speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention
OnAir Post: Catherine Cortez Masto – NV
Senator Jackie Rosen
Current Position: US Senator since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: US Representative for NV-03 from 2017 – 2019
Rosen’s parents moved to Las Vegas, where Rosen moved after graduating. She took a job with Summa Corporation and worked summers as a waitress at Caesars Palace throughout the 1980s. While working for Summa, she attended Clark County Community College (now the College of Southern Nevada) and received an associate degree in computing and information technology in 1985. She began working for Southwest Gas from 1990 to 1993.
Quotes:
Nevada runs because of our state’s workers – union workers. And strong unions lead to safer workplaces, better pay and quality health care. It is time to pass the #PROAct! Jul 22, 2021·
OnAir Post: Jacky Rosen – NV
Dina Titus NV-01
Current Position: US Representative of NV- 1st District since 2013
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: State Senator from 1993 – 2009
District: parts of communities in Clark County east of the Las Vegas Freeway and south of Nellis Air Force Base, including parts of Las Vegas, most of Henderson, Paradise, Sunrise Manor, and Winchester, as well as all of Boulder City, Nelson, and Whitney
Upcoming Election:
She served as the U.S. representative for Nevada’s 3rd congressional district from 2009 to 2011, when she was defeated by Joe Heck.
She served in the Nevada Senate and was its minority leader from 1993 to 2009. Before her election to Congress, Titus was a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), where she taught American and Nevada government for 30 years. She was the Democratic nominee for governor of Nevada in 2006.
Quotes:
As Chair of @TransportDems Subcommittee on Emergency Management it was a pleasure speaking with @FEMA
’s Youth Preparedness Council. These bright young people are doing great things to make their communities and our nation safer, more equitable, and more resilient to disasters.
Rep. Dina Titus: Biden’s $2T spending plan will ‘create jobs’
OnAir Post: Dina Titus NV-01
Mark Amodei NV-02
Current Position: US Representative of NV 2nd District since 2011
Affiliation: Republican
Former Positions: State Senator from 1999 – 2011; State Delegate from 1997 – 1999
District: northern third of the state. It includes most of Lyon County, all of Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Pershing, Storey, and Washoe counties, as well as the state capital, Carson City.
Upcoming Election:
Amodei chaired the Nevada Republican Party from 2010 until 2011, when he stepped down to run in the September 13, 2011, special election to succeed Dean Heller .
Amodei entered U.S. Army JAG Corps after passing the bar. He became an Army JAG Corps officer prosecuting criminal matters, an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Assistant Post Judge Advocate. He served as a lawyer with Allison, MacKenzie from 1987 to 2004 and with Kummer from 2004 to 2007. He served as president of the Nevada Mining Association from 2007 to 2008.
Quotes:
I introduced the VACCINES Act that would ensure all veterans, regardless of their status within the VA health care system, would be considered eligible to receive testing and vaccination services in the event of a future national public health emergency.
Rep. Amodei: WH taking deep dive into gun issues
OnAir Post: Mark Amodei NV-02
Susie Lee NV-03
Current Position: US Representative of NV 3rd District since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
District: area south of Las Vegas, including Henderson, Boulder City and much of unincorporated Clark County
Upcoming Election:
Lee became the founding director of the Inner-City Games, now known as the After-School All-Stars, which conducts after-school programs for children. Beginning in 2010, Lee served as the president of Communities In Schools of Nevada, a dropout prevention organization.
Quotes:
58% of Americans over 50 are concerned they will not be able to afford prescription drugs for themselves or their families. That is unacceptable. I’m proud to have introduced the Seniors SAVE on Prescription Drugs Act to help our seniors afford the medications they need.
Candidate Conversations: Susie Lee
OnAir Post: Susie Lee NV-03
Steven Horsford NV-04
Current Position: US Representative of NV 4th District since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Former Position: State Senator from 2005 – 2013
District: central portion of the state, it includes most of northern Clark County, southern Lyon County, most of Lincoln County, a sliver of Churchill County and all of Esmeralda, Mineral, and Nye counties.
Upcoming Election:
Horsford was the first African American to serve as Majority Leader (2009–2013) and the first African American to represent Nevada in Congress.. Horsford was the first African American to serve as Majority Leader (2009–2013) and the first African American to represent Nevada in Congress.
Horsford was CEO of the Culinary Training Academy, a job training program. He also served on the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment Board. In 1996, he began working at R&R Partners in Las Vegas.
Quotes:
When I was 19, my father was killed. I know the pain and trauma that gun violence brings and I’m determined to keep Nevada families safe. Recently, I spoke w/@8NewsNow about my bill to #BreaktheCycle of violence & build new opportunities for youth.
OnAir Post: Steven Horsford NV-04
More Information
Wikipedia
The government of Nevada comprises three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Nevada and the governor’s cabinet along with the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Nevada Legislature which includes the Assembly and the Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Nevada and lower courts.[1]
Executive
The governor and the governor’s cabinet, along with five other elected statewide constitutional officers, constitute the executive branch.[1]
Governor
The governor of Nevada is the chief magistrate of Nevada,[2] the head of the executive department of the state’s government,[2] and the commander-in-chief of the state‘s military forces.[3] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws,[4] and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Nevada Legislature,[5] to convene the legislature at any time,[6] and, except in cases of treason or impeachment, to grant pardons and reprieves.[7]
The governor has a four-year term.[8] To be elected governor, a person must be at least 25 years old, and must have been a citizen of Nevada for at least two years, at the time of election.[9]
The current governor is Republican Joe Lombardo.
Constitutional officers
Nevadans elect for four-year terms a lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state controller, and an attorney general at the same time and manner of choosing the governor. These independently elected executive-branch officers exercise powers and perform functions independent of both the governor and legislature.
The current Lieutenant Governor is Stavros Anthony (R). The Attorney General is Aaron D. Ford (D), the Secretary of State is Cisco Aguilar (D), the Treasurer is Zach Conine (D), and the Controller is Andy Matthews (R).
Cabinet
The cabinet advises and assists the governor in the business of state government, civil and military. It is composed of the heads of those state agencies which come under the governor’s appointing authority as chief executive, together with such other officials as the governor may from time to time invite. The cabinet currently consists of the following members:
- Lieutenant Governor
- Director of the Department of Administration
- Director of the Department of Agriculture
- Director of the Department of Business and Industry (B&I)
- Director of the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
- Director of the Department of Corrections
- Director of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs
- Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development
- Superintendent of Public Instruction of the Department of Education
- Director of the Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR)
- Director of the Nevada State Office of Energy
- Director of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Director of the Nevada Indian Commission
- Chief Information Officer of the Division of Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS)
- Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
- Adjutant General of the Nevada Military Department and Nevada National Guard
- Director of the Department of Personnel (DOP)
- Director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education
- Director of the Department of Transportation (NDOT)
- Executive Director of the Department of Veterans Services
- Director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife
State agencies
Major state agencies include:
- Nevada Gaming Control Board
- Consumer Health Assistance
- Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs
- Governor’s Office of Economic Development
- Nevada Film Office
- Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Division of Minerals, Commission on Mineral Resources
- Department of Personnel
- Advisory Council for Prosecuting Attorneys
- Public Employees Benefit Program
- Public Employees Retirement System
- Public Utilities Commission[10]
- Department of Taxation
- Commission on Tourism
- Universities and Community Colleges of Nevada
- Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Legislature
The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body divided into an Assembly and Senate. Members of the Assembly serve for 2 years, and members of the Senate serve for 4 years. Senators and Assemblymen/women are limited to a maximum of 12 years service in each house (by appointment or election which is a lifetime limit)—a provision of the constitution which was upheld by the Supreme Court of Nevada in a unanimous decision. Each session of the Legislature meets for a constitutionally mandated 120 days in every odd-numbered year, or longer if the governor calls a special session.
Currently, the Assembly is controlled by the Democratic Party (27 to 15 majority) and the Senate is also controlled by the Democratic Party (11 to 10 majority).
On December 18, 2018, Nevada was the first State with a female majority in its legislature. Nine of the 21 seats in the Nevada Senate are currently held by women, along with 23 of the 42 seats in the Assembly.[11]
Judiciary
The Supreme Court of Nevada is the state supreme court. Original jurisdiction is divided between the District Courts (with general jurisdiction), and Justice Courts and Municipal Courts (both of limited jurisdiction).
Local government
Incorporated towns in Nevada, known as cities, are given the authority to legislate anything not prohibited by law. A recent movement has begun to permit home rule in incorporated Nevada cities to give them more flexibility and fewer restrictions from the legislature.
Unincorporated towns are settlements eminently governed by the county in which they are located, but who, by local referendum or by the act of the county commission, can form limited local governments in the form of a Town Advisory Board (TAB)/Citizens Advisory Council (CAC), or a Town Board.
Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils are formed purely by act of the county commission. Consisting of three to five members, these elected boards form a purely advisory role, and in no way diminish the responsibilities of the county commission that creates them. Members of advisory councils and boards are elected to two-year terms, and serve without compensation. The councils and boards, themselves, are provided no revenue, and oversee no budget.
Town Boards are limited local governments created by either the local county commission, or by referendum. The board consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Half the board is required to be up for election in each election. The board elects from within its ranks a town chairperson and town clerk. While more powerful than Town Advisory Boards and Citizens Advisory Councils, they also serve a largely advisory role, with their funding provided by their local county commission. The local county commission has the power to put before residents of the town a vote on whether to keep or dissolve a town board at any general election. Town boards have the ability to appoint a town manager if they choose to do so.
See also
References
- ^ a b “The Structure of Government in Nevada” (PDF). Nevada State Website. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ a b NV Const. art. V, § 1.
- ^ NV Const. art. V, § 5.
- ^ NV Const. art. V, § 7.
- ^ NV Const. art. IV, § 35.
- ^ NV Const. art. V, § 9.
- ^ NV Const. art. V, § 13.
- ^ NV Const. art. V, § 2.
- ^ NV Const. art. V, § 3.
- ^ http://puc.state.nv.us Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Price, Michelle L. (2018-12-18). “Nevada becomes 1st US state with female-majority Legislature”. Associated Press. Retrieved 2018-12-20.
