Launched less than two years ago, Make the Road Nevada (MRNV) has already made a big impact. MRNV has worked hard to develop a strong membership base, cultivate community leaders, and build its collective power. In Nevada’s 2019 legislative session, this grassroots movement translated into a stunning series of progressive policy wins in the areas of economic and housing justice, and youth and immigrant rights.

For workers, MRNV anchored Time to Care Nevada, a statewide economic justice coalition which led the campaign to successfully pass the state’s first paid sick days legislation. This legislation grants employees at businesses with 50 or more employees five days of earned paid sick time a year. Over 400,000 workers across the state are expected to benefit from this legislation. MRNV also helped spearhead the successful effort to increase the minimum wage, bringing it up to $12 an hour over five years, beginning in January 2020. This is the first increase to the state’s minimum wage in over a decade.

On immigrant justice, MRNV partnered with the Nevada Immigrant Coalition to pass statewide legislation that will allow workers to become certified in more than 50 professions, regardless of their legal status. This will provide immigrant families with a pathway to stable jobs and professions. MRNV also worked to pass statewide legislation that will allow former residents of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories to use their ID card to obtain a Nevada driver’s license. This removes a significant hurdle for residents, many of whom were displaced by Hurricane Maria, to establish roots in their new home. MRNV also played a leading role in the creation of a new state agency, the Office of New Americans, which will assist with immigrant integration across Nevada. Make the Road NV youth leaders continue to lead efforts to end the school-to-deportation pipeline by passing a restorative justice bill and a statewide discipline data transparency bill. 

Please join us in congratulating MRNV on these transformational wins! CPD will continue to support our network’s efforts at the state and federal levels to build the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice. ¡Sí se puede!