Bill stiffens penalties for refusing to pay workers

Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, D-Las Vegas, has introduced a bill that would create stiff penalties for businesses that refuse to pay workers what they are owed.

She said under existing law, even after the Labor Commissioner rules in the worker’s favor, there are really no mechanisms to enforce that ruling and make the employer paid up.

She said if the employee prevails, the employer is told to pay the worker the amount owed, but if the employer doesn’t pay, there’s no enforcement.

Under Assembly Bill 211, that employer would be liable for damages three times the amount owed the worker, even stiffer than the double payment that could be imposed under federal law.

She said in part, the idea was to create a strong incentive to get the employer to pay up.

Bill would re-institute presidential preference primaries in Nevada

Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, introduced legislation on Monday that would recreate a presidential preference primary in Nevada.

Nevada had a presidential primary until 1996 but it was eliminated in favor of the caucus system preferred by parties.

Senate Bill 211 would bring the primary back but leave it up to the major political parties to decide whether a primary would be held. To do so, they would ask the Secretary of State to set up the primary election. That primary election would be held in February and set up a process for filing as a candidate. The presidential preference primary would, like a regular election have a filing period and an early voting schedule.

The cost of the election would come from the Statutory Contingency Account.

SB211 was referred to the Senate Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections.