Failure to pass AB 177 – A win for Carpetbaggers

(John Seaman) – AB 177 was a bill sponsored by Assemblywomen Seaman designed to prevent another Andrew Martin debacle from occurring wherein in 2013, the Democratically controlled Assembly seated Martin who had been declared an ineligible Candidate by a court to hold office but had received more votes than his opponent and was seated in the Assembly.

AB 177 passed the Assembly on a party-line vote and was sent to the Senate Legislative Operations on Elections where it was passed out of Committee. On Monday night, AB 177 failed to receive a final Senate hearing and vote by the Senate due to politics played by Republican leadership, specifically Senator Mike Roberson who held the bill hostage since Sunday over Assemblywomen Seaman vote on taxes which Assemblywomen Seaman voted no on increased taxes for Education.

Basically, Sen. Roberson killed the bill not on its merits because Assemblywomen Seaman voted no on Roberson’s minimum wage bill a few hours before which had failed to pass in the Assembly. Politics won out and the people of Nevada and the Rule of Law lost out. Failure to pass AB 177 mean Candidates who break the law can  still be seated in the Assembly to make the laws. Why should a Nevada voter cares because it goes to the public’s faith in government  where Americans no longer have trust in their elected officials. As  columnist Ron Fournier said it best in a recent article, “When the American people can’t trust their leaders, they can’t be led.”

Sen. Roberson, by his lack of leadership in killing a good bill, exemplified this lack of trust and instead sends the message to the public that trust and honesty don’t matter. It is a travesty, a win for carpetbaggers and a loss for the people of Nevada who are the real losers. You can thank the leadership or lack thereof of the Republican Assembly and Senate for this debacle as another reminder why Dems win elections and taking away a great campaign issue that trust and integrity matters in our case apparently not to leadership of Republicans.