State of Nevada Archives: on Jobs


Adam Laxalt: Remove barriers to job creation

I'll promote policies that take advantage of Nevada's many natural economic strengths, remove barriers to job creation and business expansion, and empower our education system to equip our future workers with the skills they need to succeed. That means eliminating unnecessary regulations and licensing requirements that only serve to stifle private-sector job growth and keep individuals out of the workforce.
Source: 2018 Nevada Gubernatorial website AdamLaxalt.com Nov 7, 2017

Adam Laxalt: Do not raise minimum wage; that hurts workers

Q: Raise the NV minimum wage?

Adam Laxalt (R): No. "Will reduce employment opportunities for Nevadans and hurt workers by reducing hours, reducing benefits, and reducing on-the-job training."

Steve Sisolak (D): Yes. Increase to at least $10 an hour. Reluctant to move immediately to $15, because "it will put small businesses out of business."

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Brian Sandoval: $10M for deals via Nevada Jobs Unlimited

Nevada Jobs Unlimited will pursue strategies that grow jobs within existing Nevada businesses, as well as recruit companies from out-of-state. But we will do so with a new sense of urgency, coordination, and accountability. Collaboration and tighter performance indicators will be the metrics of this new system. We are also proposing a $10 million Catalyst Fund to provide much-needed resources to close deals, finance infrastructure, and spur the growth of new jobs. The Fund will be continued in futur budgets only if it delivers the kind of success we expect. Our proposal builds upon the foundation laid by the New Nevada Task Force, which has provided new ideas for the future of our state's economic development activities. Our future lies in business sectors like technology commercialization, bioscience, renewable energy development, and defense sector expansion. Innovation will drive tomorrow's economy, and so it must drive our decision-making as we rebuild our economic development infrastructure.
Source: 2011 Nevada State of the State Address Jan 24, 2011

Dean Heller: Get bipartisan bill passed for online poker

Heller said he would work with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to get an online poker bill passed by the end of this year.

Some of Berkley's sharpest attacks on Heller came on online poker, on which Reid has blamed Heller for failing to get votes in the Senate. "My opponent is failing the people of the state of Nevada," she said, saying online poker legislation could mean up to 1,200 jobs in Nevada. "My opponent is not doing his job. Either he does not have an understanding of how important this is to the state of Nevada, or he's not caring."

Heller waived away the attacks as political. He said he believes he has two opponents in the race--Berkley and Reid. Reid saw online poker "as his last best chance to get involved in the U.S. Senate race," Heller continued. "26 days from now, Sen. Reid and myself will put aside our differences and get something passed."

Source: Las Vegas Sun on 2012 Nevada Senate debates Oct 11, 2012

Dean Heller: Denied 2010 reports that unemployed were "hobos"

Heller had to fend off his musings from a 2010 speech in Elko that unemployment benefits were creating "hobos."

Heller denied it outright, though press reports from the time confirm that he did indeed draw the correlation between unemployment benefits and "hobos."

"Look, the fact of the matter is my opponent actually did call unemployed people hobos and that puts him very much in line with what Mitt Romney said about the 47 percent," Berkley said.

Source: Las Vegas Sun on 2012 Nevada Senate debates Oct 11, 2012

Dean Heller: Opposed raising minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25/hour

Q: Raise the federal minimum wage from current $7.25/hour?

Dean Heller (R): No. Opposed 2014 vote to increase to $8.25 an hour.

Jacky Rosen (D): Yes. Raise to $15 an hour.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Dennis Kucinich: Give teeth to the National Labor Relations Act

Q: The National Labor Relations Act passed in the 1930s grants uniform collective bargaining rights to all private-sector employees but does not cover public-sector workers. Should it?

A: One of the reasons why you’ve seen union membership dropping in this country is because you haven’t seen that kind of common application of labor law. We have to make sure that all these institutions that have been set up to protect the rights of working men and women actually have teeth.

We have a Department of Labor. It’s seldom that you see the kind of enforcement for workers or workers’ rights. I’m now the chairman of Domestic Policy Subcommittee for the US House. We’re finally going to get into looking at what the NLRB does and how they really work consistently to undermine the rights of workers & unions to try to be heard and to be represented.

We also have to look at OSHA and enforcement like that because there’s a lot of unsafe workplaces where the people are not being held to account in law.

Source: 2007 AFSCME Democratic primary debate in Carson City Nevada Feb 21, 2007

Dennis Kucinich: I’m the one candidate who comes from the working class

If we had trade agreements that had workers’ rights in them, that would lift up conditions for workers in this country and all countries. I’m the candidate of workers because I’ve stood for jobs, full employment economy, health care, education for all. A Kucinich administration will means a workers’ White House. Right now wealth is being accelerated upwards. I’m the one candidate in the race who comes right from the working class and can address those needs directly because I remember where I came from
Source: 2007 Democratic debate in Las Vegas, Nevada Nov 15, 2007

Dina Titus: Voted to raise minimum wage to $15/hr.

The U.S. House passed legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, but the GOP-controlled Senate is not expected to vote on the measure this Congress. [Steven] Horsford (4th District) and Democratic Reps. Susie Lee (3rd District) and Dina Titus (1st District) backed the bill but Republican Rep. Mark Amodei (2nd District) didn't.
Source: Nevada Current on 2018 NV-1 House debate Sep 20, 2019

Jacky Rosen: Fight for livable wage; expand small business capital

Jacky will work to expand access to capital so our small businesses can grow and thrive. She will also fight to raise the minimum wage from a poverty wage to a livable wage, so that working families can make ends meet.
Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RosenForNevada.com Nov 8, 2016

Jacky Rosen: End pay discrimination against women

Early in her career, Jacky experienced pay discrimination, when her superiors provided larger raises to male colleagues. In Congress, Jacky will be a champion for women, and she will fight to ensure they get equal pay for equal work. She supports making childcare more affordable and accessible for working families and promoting young girls' interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) education.
Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RosenForNevada.com Nov 8, 2016

Jacky Rosen: Raise minimum wage from $7.25 to $15/hour

Q: Raise the federal minimum wage from current $7.25/hour?

Dean Heller (R): No. Opposed 2014 vote to increase to $8.25 an hour.

Jacky Rosen (D): Yes. Raise to $15 an hour.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Senate race Oct 9, 2018

James Vandermaas: Create regional minimum wage based on local economy

I have developed a 'Geo-fiscal living wage' calculation, which considers the regional cost of living, affording people a living wage based upon the economy and COLA of the area in which they live. This basically means that the impractical 'flat $15-per-hour-regardless-of-where-you-live' proposal does not take into consideration 'real-life' scenarios, and especially regional cost of living variables.
Source: 2022 Nevada Senate campaign website VoteVandermaas.com Dec 9, 2021

James Vandermaas: Equal compensation for equal work

The solution here has always been simple, and a fight I'm committed to winning: Equal compensation for equal work, equitable treatment in all environments, and equal rights to privacy in all traditional ways, including personal health decisions.
Source: 2022 Nevada Senate campaign website VoteVandermaas.com Dec 9, 2021

Joe Lombardo: Critical of state's use of project labor agreements

Lombardo was critical of the Sisolak administration's use of project labor agreements (PLA) -- which function as agreements between building trade unions and contractors setting terms and conditions of employment -- on affordable housing projects. Led by the treasurer's office, the state has a partnership with the AFL-CIO, a large consortium of unions, and the state infrastructure bank to help fund new housing developments that include the planned use of PLAs.
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2022 Nevada Gubernatorial race Mar 30, 2022

Joe Lombardo: Everyone should have equal opportunity, union or not

Lombardo said he was a proponent of unions. "I support collective bargaining. I support unionization," he said. "But the playing field has to be level. Everybody has to have equal opportunity to enter into the commerce section of the economy equally, no matter if they're union or not."
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2022 Nevada Gubernatorial race Mar 30, 2022

John Edwards: Make joining unions easier; ban firing strikers

I've been running a poverty center at the University of North Carolina for the last couple of years. The most important anti-poverty movement in American history is the organized labor movement. We need to make it easier for workers to organize themselves into unions. If a Republican can join the Republican Party by signing their name to a card, any worker in America ought to be able to join a union by doing exactly the same thing. It's nothing but democracy. It's what we believe in.

We ought to ban the hiring of permanent replacements for strikers, and make that the law of the land.

We need to strengthen and grow the middle class in this country. And one of the most important tools for doing that is to organize, organize, organize. I have been all over this country, organizing thousands of workers into unions, walking picket lines. So thank you for what all of you do every day.

Source: 2007 AFSCME Democratic primary debate in Carson City Nevada Feb 21, 2007

Kenny Guinn: Privatized state worker's comp & insurance

We were the first state in the country to privatize our state's worker's compensation program, removing more than a thousand positions from the state payroll and a $2.2 billion liability from the state's ledger. And in the future, we will save over $3 million more, every year, by self-insuring.

We maintained a hiring freeze for the past two years, streamlining government and leaving more than 1,500 positions unfilled or eliminated. We also reformed our state's group health insurance plan.

Source: 2001 State of the State Address to the Nevada Legislature Jan 22, 2001

Michele Fiore: Criticized for remarks about affirmative action

Niger Innis, a conservative activist who is black, said that Fiore's remarks came as she was expressing anger over Black Lives Matter protests that had turned violent and the shooting of a Las Vegas police officer that happened at a recent demonstration. She said that she was going to go after affirmative action, Innis said. "She says that 'If there's a job opening and my white ass is more qualified than somebody's black ass, then my white ass should get the job,'" he recounted.
Source: The Nevada Independent on 2022 Nevada Gubernatorial race Jun 8, 2020

Ruben Kihuen: Women earn less for same job as male colleagues

Nevadans from all walks of life see the reality of the American dream slipping away. Families work harder for less. Everyday Americans can't afford to send their kids to college. Women earn less for doing the same jobs as their male colleagues.

It is unacceptable that if a woman and a man do the same job, on average, the woman will make 30% less. That's why I sponsored and passed legislation to crack down on employers knowingly paying women less than men in Nevada.

Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RubenForCongress.com Nov 8, 2016

Ruben Kihuen: No one who works full time should live in poverty

If you work 40 hours a week and make the Nevada minimum wage of $8.25/hour, you are living in poverty. That is simply unacceptable. No one in the United States who works full time should live in poverty.

In 2015, I presented the bill in the Nevada legislature to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Unfortunately, the reckless Republicans who controlled the legislature killed the bill. I will continue to fight for an increase at the Federal level in Congress.

Source: 2016 Nevada House campaign website RubenForCongress.com Nov 8, 2016

Sharron Angle: No, I don't think the unemployed are spoiled

Both candidates had to answer for controversial remarks they've made in the past. Angle was asked whether she really thinks jobless Americans have been "spoiled" by unemployment benefits. "No, I don't think that our unemployed are spoiled," she said, "and that was totally mischaracterized by my opponent," which has become Angle's standard response when questioned about past statements.

But Reid, too, is known for making strange remarks. Angle tried to score by reminding the debate audience that Reid had once said the Iraq war had been lost. "That emboldened our enemies, demoralized our troops and endangered them, and you need to apologize to them, Senator," Angle chided. Reid countered with the many things he's done for veterans and his endorsement from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Source: NPR Morning Edition coverage of 2010 Nevada Senate debate Oct 15, 2010

Sharron Angle: It's not a Senator's job to create jobs

Angle hammered Reid over a legislator's role in generating economic growth. "Once again, Harry Reid: It's not your job to create jobs," she said, after the moderator asked both candidates if job creation was part of a Senator's job description.

On economic issues, Angle reiterated her belief that job creation does not fall under the job description of a U.S. Senator, arguing. "It's your job to create policies that create the confidence for the private sector to create those jobs."

"That'd be a no?" the moderator prompted, pushing for a firm yes or no answer to his question.

"I believe my job is to create the policies that will encourage private sector to do what they do best," she responded. "We need to get back to work," Angle said. "The way we do that is by encouraging the private sector to do what they do best. [Employers] are in a cloud of uncertainty & they're holding back $2 trillion that they would like to invest in jobs. They have lost confidence because of things like Obamacare."

Source: CBS News coverage of 2010 Nevada Senate debate Oct 15, 2010

Shelley Berkley: Online poker could mean up to 1,200 jobs in Nevada

Heller said he would work with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to get an online poker bill passed by the end of this year.

Some of Berkley's sharpest attacks on Heller came on online poker, on which Reid has blamed Heller for failing to get votes in the Senate. "My opponent is failing the people of the state of Nevada," she said, saying online poker legislation could mean up to 1,200 jobs in Nevada. "My opponent is not doing his job. Either he does not have an understanding of how important this is to the state of Nevada, or he's not caring."

Heller waived away the attacks as political. He said he believes he has two opponents in the race--Berkley and Reid. Reid saw online poker "as his last best chance to get involved in the U.S. Senate race," Heller continued. "26 days from now, Sen. Reid and myself will put aside our differences and get something passed."

Source: Las Vegas Sun on 2012 Nevada Senate debates Oct 11, 2012

Steve Sisolak: Raise minimum wage to $10, but $15 is too much

Q: Raise the NV minimum wage?

Adam Laxalt (R): No. "Will reduce employment opportunities for Nevadans and hurt workers by reducing hours, reducing benefits, and reducing on-the-job training."

Steve Sisolak (D): Yes. Increase to at least $10 an hour. Reluctant to move immediately to $15, because "it will put small businesses out of business."

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Nevada Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Steve Sisolak: Raise minimum wage from $7.25

Too many Nevadans are making too little. That needs to change and it needs to start by giving Nevadans a well-earned raise. Even as our economy improves, too many folks are still working two jobs to get by--even more are living paycheck to paycheck. That's why I am committed to working with the legislature--and the business and labor communities--to raise the minimum wage in our state. It's impossible for an individual, let alone a family, to live on $7.25 an hour.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Nevada legislature Jan 16, 2019

Steven Horsford: Voted to raise minimum wage to $15/hr.

The U.S. House passed legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, but the GOP-controlled Senate is not expected to vote on the measure this Congress. [Steven] Horsford (4th District) and Democratic Reps. Susie Lee (3rd District) and Dina Titus (1st District) backed the bill but Republican Rep. Mark Amodei (2nd District) didn't.
Source: Nevada Current on 2018 NV-4 House debate Sep 20, 2019

Susie Lee: Voted to raise minimum wage to $15/hr.

The U.S. House passed legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, but the GOP-controlled Senate is not expected to vote on the measure this Congress. [Steven] Horsford (4th District) and Democratic Reps. Susie Lee (3rd District) and Dina Titus (1st District) backed the bill but Republican Rep. Mark Amodei (2nd District) didn't.
Source: Nevada Current on 2018 NV-3 House debate Sep 20, 2019

  • The above quotations are from State of Nevada Politicians: Archives.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Jobs:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
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Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
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Gov.George Pataki(NY)
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Donald Trump(NY)
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V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
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Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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