Friends,
Happy Valentines Day!
It's hard to believe we're almost two weeks into the 77th Nevada Legislature, and we're already this busy!
I'm working hard on my 7 bills. They're still Bill Draft Requests (BDRs), and I hope to have the numbers soon so you can follow them through the legislative process. Anytime you want to watch a floor session or committee meeting live online, click here to see the schedule.
One of my bills, currently BDR 616, addresses the countless crimes where the punishment is jail time, a huge expense to taxpayers. I believe we need to make sure the punishment fits the crime, especially in the case of non-violent crimes and when there is no threat to public safety, and I was pleased to hear two speakers before Assembly Judiciary echo some of my concerns.
First, last Wednesday Ben Graham, Governmental Relations Advisor, Administrative Office of the Courts, in response to my question about when we changed our civil infractions on traffic violations to criminal, responded that to his knowledge they have always been criminal and that in his opinion the Legislature should consider making some minor criminal infractions civil.
The following day I was able to ask Greg Cox, Director of the Nevada Department of Corrections, why in Nevada our corrections and parole operate separately, another perfect example of why small criminal infractions that could be civil are costing taxpayers more money for incarceration. He responded that the Corrections Department would like to look at re-aligning the programs to better work together.
By bringing these programs together, in cases when someone is released from jail and commits a minor infraction, rather than immediately sending this person back to jail at the taxpayers expense, Corrections and Parole can work together to ensure the punishment fits the crime.
Finally, I had the opportunity to view the human trafficking documentary "Surviving Sin City" in a special Carson City showing sponsored by Assemblyman Hambrick and Congo Justice. Human sex trafficking is a real problem in Nevada and Las Vegas, and I was deeply concerned to hear the stories of our local young women who are being forced into illegal prostitution and no one noticed. I encourage you to learn more about trafficking, and if you see something suspicious, call your local police or call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at (888) 3737-888; a young woman's life may depend on it.
These first two weeks have been amazing, and I'm so glad to see support for bills and issues that are long overdue. Everyone in Carson City is working together, and I think we're off to a promising start.
I hope you enjoy your Valentine's Day and the upcoming weekend, and I'll be in touch next week with more updates from Carson City. In the meantime, if you aren't already, find me onFacebook and Twitter for updates throughout the week.
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All my love,
Michele Fiore
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