For Nevada lawmakers, it’s often about finding a balance between the micro and the macro, going through minutiae while still thinking of the big picture for the benefit of their constituents.
With just a few days to go before she is sworn in, Erica Roth, a newly elected Assembly member for District 24, encompassing much of central and eastern Reno, needs to assemble her bookshelf on her third floor office in Carson City, while strategizing the best way forward for half a dozen bills she is allowed to introduce as a freshman.
“The beginning of the session is a lot of pomp and circumstance, but I'm looking forward to both the ceremonial part as well as being able to start working on policy,” she told Our Town Reno after a busy week before the 83rd session of the Nevada Legislature kicks off.
As a newbie, Roth has gone through mandatory legislative training over the past two months, “everything from ethics training to how to operate the equipment … to pass laws for Nevada.”
One of the bills she is working on is to keep the addresses of abortion providers hidden.
“Abortion providers and those who work for establishments that provide abortions have been getting doxed,” she says. “And so this would ensure that if you are a provider, you're able to petition the court to hide your address. There's already a list of people who can hide their addresses, that includes law enforcement officers, judges, certain lawyers, and this would include them on that list.”
Another one of her planned bills concerns expanding access to mental health services for justice involved individuals.
“We have a pretty onerous process right now if you are arrested and in need of mental health services to be treated to competency,” she explained. “And so this is going to provide additional care as well as streamline the process to limit the amount of time, in custody, when we need to get people into treatment programs.”
Roth is also working on a bill to strengthen protections for renters who are going through the eviction process and another to increase protections for people with disabilities in medical settings, specifically those who are deaf and hard of hearing.
“There's been a lot of issues with those who are deaf and hard of hearing, being able to access appropriate interpretation, while in hospital settings. And so this will ensure that those who are deaf and hard of hearing, seeking medical care in hospital settings will be required to have an in person interpreter. We've had some really terrible and heartbreaking stories of inappropriate treatment … because the communication is just not there. And so it will ensure that they're able to properly, communicate with their doctors and providers,” she said.
One bill which she says she is less of an expert for but feels is crucial right now, is to expand the time for any undocumented individual who is a victim of a crime to be able to get a police report.
“If you are undocumented and a victim of crime, you are entitled to certain victim services and financial compensation,” she explained.
“It's an issue right now because of the ICE raids, and those who are undocumented being scared of interactions with officials. And so it will expand that time that they can get that report to be able to seek the services.”
As a former Deputy General Counsel to former Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak and government affairs and appellate attorney she feels well prepared for the weeks ahead, while taking her new elected position with the utmost seriousness.
“I feel so much weight and responsibility in this role,” she said. “It’s just so important for me to do a good job and to represent my constituents and push policy that's going to help my constituents. It’s a heavy burden which I'm happy to take on.”
As lawmakers arrive, she says it’s time to find progressive allies, despite the overarching current political climate and the possibility of many vetoes from Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, as was the case last session. Despite Donald Trump taking Nevada in 2024, as he did other swing states, Democrats held on to their large majorities in the Silver State’s Senate and Assembly, losing just one seat.
“My heart is broken over what we're seeing on the national level, but that's why the work that we're doing on the local level is so important,” Roth said.
“The things that give me hope is that I feel, I'm so committed to bringing bills that I know are going to make a positive impact in my community and continue to speak out against the authoritarianism that we are seeing from the federal government and the president. And so, there are certainly days when it gets hard.
But I have been in all honesty waking up everyday just ready for the fight because I think we have a real fight on our hands for the next four years. I feel confident that we're going to get through it,” the Democratic lawmaker said.