CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - The Latest on Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s State of the State address (all times local):
7:20 p.m.
Nevada Republicans are applauding Gov. Steve Sisolak’s pledge not to increase taxes.
The Senate Republican Caucus released a statement Wednesday night after the Democratic governor’s first State of the State speech saying Nevada needs to “stay on course to continue to grow our economy.”
Reno Republican Sen. Heidi Gansert delivered the official GOP response to Sisolak’s address. She said in a pre-taped message that Republicans will stand their ground on issues of personal responsibility, limited government spending and individual freedom.
But Gansert also says Republicans can find common ground with Democrats on education, tackling the opioid crisis and renewable energy.
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6:45 p.m.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak says he’s not proposing any new taxes but he does want to create more state government.
The Democrat said in his State of the State speech that he wants to establish a number of new offices to help implement his priorities. They include an Office of Small Business Advocate under the lieutenant governor and a Patient Protection Commission to provide a comprehensive approach to health care to help protect Nevadans from such things as prescription drug price-gauging.
Sisolak also wants to establish a Cannabis Compliance Board modeled after Nevada’s state Gaming Commission to ensure transparent regulation of legal marijuana sales in Nevada. And he proposes creating the Governor’s Office for New Americans to make sure immigrants feel welcome in Nevada and help them navigate a wide variety of government programs.
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6:30 p.m.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he wants to spend a portion of a 10 percent marijuana tax on school safety.
The Democrat said in his State of the State speech in Carson City on Wednesday that he also wants to combat gun violence by finding a way to implement a new gun background check law that has been tied up in legal challenges.
Sisolak also pledged to outlaw bump stock devices like the one the killer used on the Las Vegas Strip massacre on Oct. 1 2017.
He also wants to ensure that people who are subject to restraining orders cannot buy a firearm.
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6:25 p.m.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is proposing a teacher pay raise and additional money to help teachers pay for school supplies.
The Democrat said in his State of the State speech Wednesday that he wants to give teachers between $100 and $180 to buy classroom materials.
He’s also proposing to build an education building at Nevada State College and a new health and sciences building at the College of Southern Nevada.
Sisolak also wants to boost funding for career and technical education programs to allow 2,000 more students to pursue an apprenticeship or job training.
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6:20 p.m.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is proposing a 3 percent pay increase for state employees in the coming year, as well as a 3 percent raise for K-12 teachers.
He said in his State of the State speech in Carson City on Wednesday that he also wants to raise the $7.25 minimum wage statewide.
He isn’t offering any details and says he plans to work with the Legislature to accomplish that.
Sisolak plans to release more details about his budget proposal on Thursday.
The Democrat also wants to find a way to ensure that men and women are paid equally for equal work and Nevada workers have access to some kind of paid leave.
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6:10 p.m.
Nevada’s first Democratic governor in two decades is outlining his blueprint for the state’s future and celebrating the historic gathering of the first state Legislature in U.S. history with a female-majority.
Gov. Steve Sisolak used his first State of the State address in Carson City Wednesday night to call for a round of applause to all the women who made history in Nevada’s capital.
The Democrat called Nevada’s female-majority Legislature a milestone “that’s been generations in the making.”
Sisolak also acknowledged Nevada’s growing economy and says he wants to ensure that families who haven’t felt the economic recovery and are still working to make ends meet share in the state’s prosperity.
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2:45 p.m.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is giving his inaugural State of the State address Wednesday night in Carson City.
The Democrat’s address is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
He will be speaking in the Assembly Chambers of the Nevada Legislature. The address will also be streamed online at gov.nv.gov.
The speech will lay out Sisolak’s priorities for the upcoming year and his upcoming four-year term.
He’s expected to talk about his push for a committee studying how to improve health care in Nevada and finding a way to enforce a 2016-voter-approved gun background check initiative.
Sisolak spent a decade on the Clark County Commission before he defeated Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt in November.
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