Welcome to our weekly roundup!
Here is where we'll keep you informed on what is happening in Nevada politics.

Please see below for an overview of what has been making headlines in the Silver State and for a breakdown of the 2022 Statewide and Congressional races.

Political News

NV Gov Republican Primary Debate Hosted in Reno

It was quiet over the holidays in the Nevada political world, with the exception of the Republican primary debate here in Reno at the Atlantis Hotel & Casino. The highest polling Republican and one of the more moderate candidates, Joe Lombardo, did not participate in the debate. - The Nevada Independent

Cortez Masto Fundraising

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto posted a solid fundraising number, with $10.4 million cash on hand going in 2022. - The Nevada Independent

Nevada Gubernatorial Race 'To Watch' in 2022

NBC News has named Nevada as one of the 10 gubernatorial races to watch in 2022.

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Nevada Judicial Nominees

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to recommend full Senate confirmation of Nevada state Judge Cristina Silva and UNLV law professor Anne Traum. - Las Vegas Review Journal

Environmental News

2021 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report

Last week, the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection released their greenhouse gas emission report. The state is in line to fall short 5.5% of its 2025 emission reduction goal, and 21.1% short of the 2030 goal. Our ultimate state goal is net zero emissions by 2050. Please click here to view the full report.

Colorado River Negotiations

There are ongoing negotiations about the Colorado River and its’ allocations across the West:

Water authority manager says Colorado River out of easy solutions

Las Vegas Review Journal

Record December snow in West brings major drought relief, hope for 2022

The Washington Post

California is suddenly snow-capped and very wet. But how long will the water rush last?

Los Angeles Times

Economic News

Housing Continues to Boom

Housing prices all across the state continued to break records, with median home prices hitting record highs in the two large urban areas. - The Nevada Independent

2021 Redistricting Maps

The new boundaries would give 14 of the 21 state Senate districts and 27 of the 42 Assembly districts a voter registration advantage for Democrats over Republicans of more than 4.5 percent.

The Nevada Independent

Please see the links below to view the new district lines for Nevada Assembly, Senate and Congressional delegation.

MapsTables
AssemblyAssembly
SenateSenate
Congressional Congressional
NV-2022-Election-RacesDownload

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As expected, Governor Sisolak has called for a Special Session of the Nevada Legislature that began today, November 12th, at 1:00pm. The primary purpose of the session is to address reapportionment but they will also address the date that judges can file for office.

Below is a link to the Governor's Proclamation and to the proposed maps.

The Tom Clark Solutions team is in Carson City and will be here each day until the end. We expect to be here until at least Tuesday.

Governor's Proclamation: www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/33rd2021Special/Docs/Proclamation.pdf

Proposed maps: www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Districts/Reapp/2021/

Happy Nevada Day, Observed!

Nevada became a state on October 31st, 1864 and up until a few years ago, we celebrated on that day. Now we observe the last weekend of the month as Nevada Day Weekend, marking the state holiday as a three day celebration of Silver Statehood. The Nevada Independent published a great story on history of Nevada's birthday. You can read that story here. Below is some other news about the Battle Born State that's caught our attention.

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NBC News Selects Washoe County as "Bellwether County" for 2022

As part of NBC News and Meet The Press County To County series, Washoe County has been selected as one of the seven counties telling "the story of America's shifting political landscape" and will be highlighting the community's hyper-local issues ahead of the 2022 election. Watch NBC News correspondent Guad Venegas report on the Latino community, the evenly split electorate and the local economy in the videos below, all with the Space Whale and Truckee River in the background.

Watch County to County: Meet the counties to watch in the 2022 midterms

Watch Shifting demographics turn Nevada's Washoe County into key battleground

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Reapportionment and Redistricting Revs Up

As we get closer and closer to the presumed November Special Session, The Interim Committee to Conduct an Investigation into Matters Relating to Reapportionment and Redistricting in Nevada is meeting more often, as seen by them hosting nearly all of their meetings within the last six days, each at a different physical location. The list of their meetings and meeting materials can be found here. In general, these meetings provide the public and Committee members with the history, legal considerations and technical components of the process. Other topics of discussion have included the impact the process has on Nevada's tribal communities, how inmate populations will be reflected in the new maps and the 2020 demographic trends we are seeing in the state.

The City of Reno released their final proposed maps to the public this past Tuesday. You can find these maps and more on the City's redistricting homepage. The final maps will be presented to the Reno City Council at their regular meeting on November 10th.

The Board of Regents have also released their final proposed maps and provided a presentation on these maps at the Interim Committee's October 23rd meeting.

Washoe County School District unanimously voted this week to move the entire Sun Valley area into District B. They will be turning in their final maps to the county registrar's office on November 1st.

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Mining and the Green Energy Future

The October issue of Nevada Lawyer, a publication of the State Bar of Nevada, focused on Nevada's public lands and the role it has in the country's renewable energy future.

Simply put, to achieve the clean every future articulated by the new administration, the U.S. must have access to more minerals through reliable domestic supply chains, outside the control of its adversaries.

The Green Energy Domestic Mineral Supply Chain Paradox

You can read the full article here.

Other articles worth reading from the October issue:

Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands in Nevada: The Fight Goes On

Nevada's Public Lands: Who Owns and Controls Nevada?

 


Laxalt Files for U.S. Senate
 

   

Sundays are for church, golf, football and… candidate filings? Late Sunday night, former Attorney General Adam Laxalt confirmed what was long surmised - he has filed the official paperwork to challenge US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto in 2022. This did not come as a huge surprise, as just the day before, Senator Tom Cotton (R- AR) announced Laxalt’s intention to run during the sixth annual Basque Fry festival in Gardnerville, a popular stop for GOP candidates and officials during campaign season. Laxalt joins Sam Brown and Sharelle Mendenhall in the Republican primary race.

Numerous political outlets and pundits have categorized Cortez Masto’s seat as one of the key races that will determine which party controls the Senate after 2022. Last month, The Cook Political Report recategorized Cortez Masto’s seat from “Likely D” to “Lean D”, joining other highly competitive races, like Scott Kelly in Arizona and Raphael Warnock in Georgia. Laxalt’s official candidacy announcement is sure to add some excitement to an already competitive race, but will he be able to win over Nevadans? In 2016, Cortez Masto defeated Republican Joe Heck by 2.4 percentage points; both Hilary Clinton and Joe Biden won Nevada in 2016 and 2020, respectively, by the same margin and Laxalt lost the 2018 gubernatorial election by 4.1 points. As of July 2021, there are nearly 100,000 more residents registered as Democrats than as Republicans but perhaps the real focus should be on the non-partisans, the fastest growing “party” in Nevada, making up 26% of the electorate.

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Adam Laxalt's Statement of Candidacy - Federal Election Commission

Laxalt files papers to run for U.S. Senate after Cotton announces his candidacy - The Nevada Independent

Sen. Tom Cotton: Laxalt key to GOP flipping the U.S. Senate - News 4 JAX


Lt. Gov. May Resign for Position in Biden Administration
Lt. Gov. Marshall at the 2019 Nevada Day Parade. (Photo by Tom Clark.)
 

The shakeup of Nevada's executive branch continues. According to The Nevada Independent, Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall plans to resign from her position as Nevada's second in command and accept a position in the Biden Administration as the White House's senior adviser to governors. This news comes just one week after Governor Sisolak announced former state senator Yvanna Cancela will serve as his chief of staff beginning September 1st. 

The Lieutenant Governor's office is up for election in 2022. Under Nevada law, the Governor may appoint someone of the same party to fill the position or can simply remain vacant until the 2022 election. 

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In the video below, Tom discusses the First House Passage deadline and the process by which to enter the Legislative Building now that they've allowed limited public access.

In the video below, Tom discusses upcoming deadlines facing the Legislature and when lobbyists can expect to register for the 81st Session.

Welcome Austin Daly

Austin Daly

Austin Daly is a former Staff Assistant for U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and has been hired as a Staff Assistant for Tom Clark Solutions. He will help the team and our clients as we follow committee hearings, track bills, research issues during the 81st Legislative Session, and will lead TCS's video department. You can reach him at austin@tomclarkolutions.com.
He has also worked for federal and state campaigns in the 2018 and 2020 cycles, and was the President of the Young Democrats at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Website Launch

Tom Clark Solutions is excited to announce that our website has undergone a revamp and is now live! We will be updating the website throughout the session with relevant documents, announcements, and pertinent information on the 81st Session. We hope it will become a valuable resource for you all. Please let us know if you have any feedback!

In the Lobby

It's still early in the Session but there is plenty that has happened, albeit virtually. In the video below, Tom reflects on the first month of the 81st Session and discuses the policy efforts we've seen in the healthcare industry, namely telehealth, mining taxes and what we can expect in the remaining 88 days.

Paul Young Joins Tom Clark Solutions

Paul Young

Tom Clark Solutions is excited to announce that Paul Young, formerly Deputy Director of Government Affairs at R&R Partners, has joined the firm as Partner.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Paul for many years on complicated issues at the Nevada Legislature” said Tom Clark. “I look forward to having him on the team as we represent and advocate on behalf of our clients at all levels of government.”

2021 Nevada Legislature Update

Tom Clark Solutions is preparing for an unprecedented 2021 Nevada Legislature. The prolonged Pandemic is forcing lobbyists to re-think how they approach representing their clients. Our office space and conference center in Carson City is located at 111 W. Proctor St. We are prepared to participate in the process whether we are allowed access to the Legislative and Capitol buildings or not. The office space and conference center will easily accommodate large, safely distanced meetings/gatherings with video conference capabilities.


In addition to Paul’s joining the team, Zoë Houghton has joined the firm as Associate to provide legislative bill tracking, to attend hearings and to manage the operations of the Firm.

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