Equal Pay For Women's History Month

Pink Blazer - H&M
Black & White Stripe Shirt - Old Navy
Pink Belt - Old Navy
Silver Link Necklace - Top Shop

March is Women's History Month. Perfect timing to talk about Senate Bill 190. 

SB 190 was introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, March 2nd. This bill will allow women to recover up to two years of back pay and benefits if they were the victim of pay discrimination. This bill will also prevent employer retaliation against employees who share information about their pay with coworkers.

The Sponsor of Senate Bill 190  has said to media outlets that "Passing a strong equal pay bill will send a message that we’re committed to fairness for all Nevadans".

According to a study by  Center for American Progress Action Fund, women in Nevada make around $.85 per dollar than a male.

Click HERE to watch a video of the actual hearing of the bill.

Click HERE for entire Bill text.

Not Built For Easy & 4th Graders

I took a step back to see if I was okay with walking away from the blog for a bit. Starting this blog has become harder than I thought it would be. But in the words of Tupac "I don't want it if its that easy". Journalism has been in my blood since I was a child. But getting back to writing is taking more effort than I thought. Creating LaurenUnscripted during Legislative Session has taken courage and more time than I expected.  With 1000+hits in less than three months, I have come too far to turn just stop. My week long break ended up being a week of brainstorming, creating and revamping.  

Last week I had the pleasure to host the 4th graders of Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy. It was important for me to make sure these children got the royal treatment while on this field trip. I might have been more excited than the students. The Principal (who happens to have been my third grade teacher) was introduced on the Senate Floor and the students were acknowledged by the Lt. Governor, Senator of District 4 and Senate Majority Leader.  They were also joined by another Senator at lunch. One Assemblyman made a special trip to the Senate Chambers, just to shake each child's hand and take pictures. That was truly special for them. 

Andre Agassi Prep Girl Power Girls

Andre Agassi Forth Grade Class 

No Political Agenda

BeBe Dress (old)
Pink Belt - Old Navy
Black Suede boots (old)

With so many bills coming through everyday, its hard for me to decide what to blog about.

I want to blog about bills my audience will care about or I want to explain why you should care.   The "popular" bill of the day, might not be a bill that you guys are interested in.  I don't want to turn anyone off using big words and describing a bill that might not even make it through committee.

Yes, I know, you have heard about guns, construction defects, school bond, and taxes all over the news and social media. I don't think its time to bring out those issues just yet. I am still trying to figure them out  myself. At some point I will let you know what these bills mean to you and how you will be effected.

I have to be very careful on the bills I highlight, suggest or mention. I am not here to push the agenda of any political party.  The purpose is to make the Legislative process and potential laws understandable, in hopes to get you to care enough and get involved or vote!

Some might suggest "That's a Republicans bill, you should't be talking about that".  However, if a Republican  bill is a good bill and will help make Nevada better, than it will be mentioned.  On the other hand, if the Democrats are trying to pass a law that that would hurt us, I will show you the pro's and cons.

All is in effort to produce change (or not). You decide. I am just giving you some details to help you decide.

Feel free to click the links below for a list of bills and you can follow or look up yourself.

                               Senate Bills                                                             Assembly Bills

                                   As of today, here are the bills that have passes already. 

The Difference Between State Senate & State Assembly

Senate - Upper House

Assembly - Lower House

I have worked for both a State Senator and a State Assemblyman.  During the transition between the two, I was often asked:

 What is the difference between a Senator and Assemblyman?

                                   

	SENATE	ASSEMBLY
Presiding Officer	Lieutenant Governor	Speaker of the Assembly
Members	21	42
Terms	4 years	2 years
House Leaders	Majority  Floor Leader	Speaker of the Assembly

• There are two Assembly Districts in one Senate District.  (Senate District 1 has 2 Assemblyman/Assemblywoman. 
• Each house has the power to establish its own rules and select its own officers.
• At the Legislature blue is used for Senate and red is used for Assembly. 

Senate Bill 133 - Here You Go Teachers

I think my Nevada Teachers will like this bill.

Senate Bill 133 - Click for actual language of the bill

Authorizes the reimbursement of teachers for certain out-of-pocket expenses.

     

This bill will allow teachers to be reimbursed up to $100 per year on necessary school supplies. There was no debate in this Committee Hearing. It was pretty straight forward. 

Who can argue with paying teachers back $100 for what they spend to help students succeed.  As a Teachers Assistant for a few months, I definitely spent at least $100. 

Click here to follow SB133  all the way to the Senate and Assembly Floor. 

Political Jargon - Part 1

Before I can get into the good stuff on who, what, when, where and why; I need to cover the basics. Not everyone understands political jargon. I don't want to assume everyone knows what I am talking about.  

It can be a turn off to a conversation or news story when you have no idea what these words mean.   Not everyone retains what they learned in grade school.  Trust me, I have learned a lot over the last four years. 

Let's start here with the basics:

Bill - A draft of a proposed law.  A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature. Once a bill has become a law, it is called an Act or a Statue. 

Bill Draft Request (BDR) - A bill draft request is submitted to the Legislative Counsel Bureau  by a legislator, an executive agency, a member of the judiciary, or a local government before it becomes a bill. 

Constituent - The people of an area or district who vote for their representative.  

Veto - Governor’s formal disapproval of a bill.

Sponsor - The legislator(s), legislative committee, or entity requesting that a bill.

Lobbyist- A representative of a special interest who attends sessions to oppose or support the  a particular legislation.

Legislative Session - First Week In Review

Today concludes week one of the 78th Session of the Nevada Legislature.

Week one is definitely not what anyone expected. This week included extremely long hours, high emotions, lots of closed doors and horrible eating. But, I will say week one has been very productive.

Opening Day started with the swearing in of 20 new Legislatures. 

(Three in Senate &  17 in Assembly) Right after the congratulations and photos the law makers immediately went to working hearing over 100 pre-filed Bills.

Out of exhaustion from the week, I only included the link to the actual bills. However, moving forward I will go into detail and break the bills down to everyday language. I am interested to see if anyone reads the actual bill. 

Hot Topic of the Week:

Senate Bill 119 - Prevailing Wage Exemption

The good stuff will come later in this blog. Trust me! Right now, I just need a good cup of tea and my temporary bed.

Suit:Ann Taylor Loft
Shoes: Vince Camouto

10 Simple Nevada Legislative Session Facts

10 Facts about Nevada Legislative Session

-Legislative Session is a period of time where law makers come together to make laws-

· Session of the Nevada Legislature is held every two years (odd number years)
· Two-House Legislature (Senate & Assembly)
· 63 Members (21 Senate & 42 Assembly)
· Begins on the first Monday in February
· 120 straight days
· Laws become effective October 1st (if no other date is given)
· Legislative activities, including committee hearings, are open to the public
· Only members of the Legislature or standing committees can introduce legislation
· The Legislature meets at the Legislative Building in Carson City (state capital)
· www.leg.state.nv.us

The 78^th Session of Nevada Legislature will begin on Monday, February 2, 2015

The Calm Before the Storm

Stay tuned for top bills & how to participate in the process

Nevada State Senate Chambers

The Senate Floor is where part of the votes, discussion, and debates, will happen over the next 120 days.

Nevada State Assembly Chambers

The Assembly Floor will host the debates, votes and discussion just as important. 

Let's Talk Politics

Over the last few elections, I noticed the lack of knowledge of our generation when it comes to politics, laws and legal rights. I would hear conversations where people were repeating what they heard someone else say on the news or what they read on Facebook. Falling to dig deeper and even stay current. I came across many who didn't vote, many who didn't understand the issues or cause and those who faked as if they knew the issues just to be apart of the conversation. 

I was fortunate to work on a winning political campaign and twice for  Nevada Legislative Session. I found the experience to be extremely educational. Of course I have to share all this information.  Both experiences created a hunger of knowledge  for what is going on not only in my state, but in my country. 

Politics became cool again when Obama became President. We talk about politics on a date, after church and during happy hour.  However, do we really know the process and the issues? I wanted to create a conformable, relaxed environment to share  the process.

  

This blog is bi-partisan (not taking any sides).  I won't favor a Democratic or a Republican. This is my blog, but I don't want it to be all about my opinion.  I want to give you the facts, the truth and create a better understanding.  Yes, you can Google it, but will really understand and how it applies to you?