SB391 – In Honor of Native American Heritage Month
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, we are sharing all the favorable outcomes of the 82nd Legislative Session.
As all our relatives become more engaged in civic matters, please know that the bill which “revises provisions to governmental entities,” specifically addresses the daily siren in Minden, Nevada is now a law. Existing law prohibits a county, city or town in this State from sounding a siren, bell or alarm that was previously sounded on certain days or times in association with an ordinance enacted by the county, city or town which required persons of a particular race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin or color to leave the county or a city, town or township within the county by a certain time. (NRS 244.159, 268.0199, 269.234)
This bill revises these provisions by prohibiting a county, a city and an unincorporated town that sounds or sounded such a siren, bell or alarm in association with such an ordinance from sounding a siren, bell or alarm for a purpose other than:
(1) alerting persons to an emergency;
(2) testing the siren, bell or alarm at reasonable time intervals of not more than once every 6 months; or
(3) celebrating or recognizing a legal holiday on the day of the legal holiday or the day on which the legal holiday is recognized by existing law.
This bill authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action to collect a monetary penalty from a county, city or unincorporated town for each violation. This bill prohibits a county, city or unincorporated town from taking adverse employment action against the employee for reporting such a violation to the Attorney General. The NEVADA INDIAN COMMISSION (NIC) is a State agency created by statute in 1965 to “study matters affecting the social and economic welfare and well-being of American Indians residing in Nevada, including but not limited to matters and problems relating to Indian affairs and to federal and state control, responsibility, policy, and operations affecting such Indians.” Beginning on July 1, 2024, our agency will be known as the Department of Native American Affairs (DNA).
For more information about state provisions prohibiting certain counties, cities and unincorporated towns from sounding sirens, bells or alarms for certain purposes; establishing civil penalties for violations of such prohibitions; authorizing the Attorney General to bring a civil action to recover such penalties, click here.