Press Release
Late Monday, June 2, the Nevada State Assembly failed to pass Senate Bill 306 – which would have expanded mental healthcare services and support for children – despite unanimous Senate support. The State Assembly, led by Speaker Steve Yeager and Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui, declined to hold a vote on the legislation that would protect Nevada’s children and workers. Below are statements from members and leaders of the state’s largest healthcare and public services union, SEIU Local 1107:
“I truly believed this legislation held immense potential to positively impact the lives of children and families within our community. It was designed to prioritize the mental health and well-being of our children and ensure safe working conditions for frontline workers. We emphasized the 2 crucial need to protect our children, provide them the mental health services they need, and ensure safe staffing for all.” - SEIU Member and Senior Child Development Specialist for Clark County Nicole Miller
“The 20,000 public service and healthcare workers of our union strongly condemn the State Assembly’s failure to pass urgently needed mental health support for children contained in Senate Bill 306. Our state and our nation are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, which is particularly acute for our kids and teens. In the midst of this crisis, the billionaires who are running the federal government have taken a chainsaw to mental health and healthcare funding. Now more than ever, Nevadans desperately need expanded mental health services, so stakeholders came together to agree on the bill’s provisions. But the Assembly could not muster the courage and will to do the right thing on this critical issue.
“Our members devote countless hours caring for the children in our community who have suffered from abuse and neglect. Our members were committed to advocating for SB 306, including traveling to Carson City to testify in front of the legislature, speaking directly to lawmakers, and participating in phone banks. Public service and healthcare workers were extremely passionate about SB 306, also known as the ‘No Eject, No Reject’ bill, because it would have ensured psychiatric treatment centers do not reject or prematurely discharge children without proper care and a plan involving their legal guardians. The bill would have also required treatment centers to admit children in need, expanded mental health services, and created a task force to develop housing and other services for children released from these settings. This legislation would have reduced the re-traumatization of victims of child abuse and neglect, and the overcrowding of temporary shelters that serve our community. We may not have won this battle, but we are more determined than ever to pass the provisions of this bill in the next legislative session, and to continue advocating for quality mental healthcare for children and all Nevadans.” - SEIU Local 1107 President Michelle Maese and Executive Director Sam Shaw
“In my experience working with youth that have mental and Behavioral health issues, ive witnessed youth being turned away from Psychiatric facilities regardless of meeting the criteria, being in crisis or being deemed acute. Youth that have been in the system for many years will often be turned away because of their reputation of difficult behaviors, or simply because their Medicaid runs out. We’ve even had a few youth banned from these facilities.
As a result, our youth began to treat themselves. And this looks like excessive drug and alcohol use, fighting, and running away from the shelter, sex trafficking recruitment and engaging sexualized behaviors.
These youth then become disruptive and violent attacking Staff and other youth. This retraumatizes the youth that reside in the shelter.
Our temporary emergency shelter is licensed as a daycare facility. We don’t have the resources and services to support youth of this population.
I am deeply saddened that the committee and chair did not support this impactful and important legislation for our Nevada children.” - Layla Hawkins, SEIU Member and Child Haven worker
“I’m concerned over the legislature’s decision not to pass SB 306. This piece of legislation had the potential to enhance our youths’ lives that suffer from severe mental health disorders. It is unfortunate the legislature doesn’t care about Nevada residents enough to pass it.
“I currently work in an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children in Nevada. Simply by being removed from their environment, they are already diagnosed with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder). Most youth on campus are also diagnosed with ADHD, BI-POLAR disorder, suicidal ideation, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Borderline Personality dis, schizophrenia etc. These youth in our care have the most difficult time functioning in normal environments like school and in the home. By denying access to mental health facilities, they grow into non-able bodied citizens as adults!
“Facilities deny these youth a bed because they do not want to address their challenging behaviors. The Facilities are familiar with the youth and they are “blackballed” from the RTC or Acute services!
“To love our beautiful state is to love our youth, who will eventally take over Nevada’s population. Passing AB306 would have secured a healthy Nevada population of people who we all can rely on!” - Korey Cook, SEIU Member and Senior Child Development Specialist
Read Guest Column by SEIU 1107 Secretary Treasurer Jody Domineck at The Las Vegas Sun