CARSON CITY – By the stroke of the gavel, the Nevada Senate adjourned Friday ending the life of only two Assembly bills, including freshman Assemblywoman Monroe-Moreno’s (D-AD1, North Las Vegas) Assembly Bill 194 (AB194). AB 194 was proposed to certify Behavioral Healthcare Peer Recovery Support Specialists and was criticized by opponents as the most restrictive measure of its kind ever proposed.
Opponents included Judges, recovery houses, numerous treatment providers, NAMI Nevada, Young People in Recovery, Foundation for Recovery, and numerous individuals in recovery and friends of recovery.
Following the strongest showing of opposition during a two and half hour Senate committee hearing, Monroe-Moreno proposed six amendments adopted by the committee. Intended to allay the concerns of the opponents, the final version of the bill included more exemptions and generated more confusion.
Each time her bill was analyzed, entities asked for clarification or exemptions. In its final version, there were so many exemptions it was hard to identify who or what the bill would apply to and how it would be enforced.
Rather than recognize the bill solved no problems, righted no wrongs or otherwise protected Nevadans from harm, Assemblywoman Monroe-Moreno continued to push her regressive and restrictive bill forward over the united voices of recovery asking her to stop. Had this bill been signed into law, the hard work in establishing a voluntary Internationally recognized certification process at the Nevada Behavioral Health Association (NBHA) would have been negated. The NBHA developed an IC&RC certification with the participation of the recovery community, a true key to the success of the process.
Death by Deadline
The bill died a “Procedural Death,” under the joint standing rules of the Nevada Legislature. Moving a bill to the “Secretary’s Desk” or the “Chief Clerk’s Desk,” has many purposes. In some cases, it is to reserve the bill for further amendment, or it removes the bill from consideration without the need for senators to cast a vote for or against a bill. However, if the bill is not acted upon by the deadline, it dies on the desk as was the fate of AB194.
When it became clear to the Senate Majority (Democrats) that the Minority (Republicans) were locked in opposition and the bill would not pass, Assistant Majority Leader Senator Kelvin Atkinson (D-SD 4, North Las Vegas) moved it off the floor. Sen. Atkinson saved the bill from the indignity of being the first bill of the 79th session to die by floor vote on Friday May 26th, the last day the bill could be considered.
“We inhaled when it was moved to the desk and didn’t exhale until they adjourned for the weekend,” said Trey Delap, recovery advocate and opponent of the bill. “I didn’t leave the building until I saw enough senators leave where they couldn’t meet and I could breathe again.”
AB 194 rallied recovery’s collective voice. To see Courts and people in recovery united and sound their voice stopped this legislation. Recovery dodged a bullet and the task ahead is to show lawmakers what real peer recovery looks like in Nevada. “We came to their house, now they need to come to ours,” Delap said on the road ahead. “If we stay engaged, we will be strongly supporting our legislation next session.”
Written by Trey Delap
