Carson City forum hears debate on ballot questions

The ballot questions start about one hour in.

The head of the Nevada Families for Freedom argued Friday that ballot questions for the Equal Rights Amendment and minimum wage hike are part of a “radical left-wing agenda that will harm, not help, Nevadans.”

Longtime conservative activist Janine Hansen argued against both measures during an election forum at the Brewery Arts Center.

The forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Northern Nevada, Sierra Nevada Forums and AAUW Capital (NV) Branch.

But supporters said she was off-base and that neither of the two questions before voters next month would do what Hansen claims they would.

Nnedi Stephens, chair of Equal Rights Nevada, agreed the ERA question is “more expansive and inclusive” than the original federal ERA that only dealt with sex discriminations. Stephens argued that equal rights has expanded beyond the simple issue of women’s equality to include protection for sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin as well as race, creed and color. She said it’s about making sure the 14th Amendment protections protect all those rights.

Hansen said the ERA amendment in Nevada’s Constitution would expand rights to include taxpayer funded abortions and including age in the list would eliminate bans on under-age sex. She described it as the most radical version of the ERA in any state.

But Stephens countered that 27 states have some similar provisions in place.

“This is about equal rights, about adding an additional layer of protection,” she said.

As for mandating state funded abortions, she said that it was “absolutely not true.”

Hansen also argued against Ballot Question 2 that would clean up the existing constitutional provision dealing with the minimum wage. She said the Legislature already has the power to raise or change the minimum wage and so it should not be in the state Constitution.

She argued that raising the minimum wage doesn’t reduce poverty and, instead, could raise their pay just enough to cut off Medicaid and other benefits.

Christine Saunders, policy director of the Progressive Alliance of Nevada, said the question would get rid of the two-layer minimum wage allowing employers who provide health insurance to pay a dollar less than those who don’t. She said that provision has been badly abused by businesses that put up a health plans no one can afford to qualify for the lower wage.

The existing rules were put in the constitution in 2006 and Saunders said the ballot question this year is designed to fix the unintended consequences of the existing language.