Who Gets a Seat at the Table? A LEAN Guide to Appointed Public Service

Nevada’s public policy isn’t shaped only in the Governor’s Office or during the 120 days of the Nevada Legislature.

Across state government, appointed boards, commissions, councils and authorities help oversee programs, advise state agencies, regulate professions and make decisions affecting Nevada communities.

Here are some of the public bodies worth knowing, and why voting for Governor Matters.

Housing, Homelessness & Community

Advisory Committee on Housing

Housing affordability, development and housing policy remain major challenges across Nevada. This committee provides an important connection between housing stakeholders and state government.

Nevada Commission on Homelessness

Homelessness involves housing, health care, behavioral health, employment and human services. State coordination can determine whether Nevada responds primarily to homelessness as a public-order issue or invests in long-term housing and supportive services.

State Land Use Planning Advisory Council

Land-use decisions affect housing, transportation, public lands, water, economic development and the growth of Nevada communities.

Hunger, Poverty & Human Services

Council on Food Security

Food insecurity affects children, families, older adults and working Nevadans across the state. The council helps Nevada consider strategies for addressing hunger and improving access to nutritious food.

Nevada Commission on Aging

Nevada’s aging population faces challenges involving housing, health care, transportation, food security, caregiving and economic security.

Nevada Commission on Services for Persons with Disabilities

People with disabilities interact with housing, transportation, employment, education, health care and public-benefit systems.

Health Care & Human Dignity

State Board of Health

Public health decisions can affect communities throughout Nevada, including policies involving disease prevention, health standards and statewide health regulations.

Commission on Behavioral Health

Nevada continues to confront shortages and gaps in mental-health and substance-use services.

Children’s Behavioral Health Authority — Northern Nevada

Children and families in Northern Nevada face significant challenges accessing appropriate behavioral-health services.

Children’s Behavioral Health Authority — Southern Nevada

Southern Nevada’s rapidly growing population creates its own challenges for children’s behavioral-health services.

Maternal and Child Health Advisory Board

Maternal health, prenatal care, infant health and access to maternity services remain important Nevada policy concerns.

Advisory Committee on the State Program for Oral Health

Dental care is health care, yet cost and provider access can make oral-health services difficult to obtain.

Children, Families & Education

Statewide Independent Living Council

Independent living policies affect whether Nevadans with disabilities can live, work and participate fully in their communities.

Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council

Child care, early education, family supports and school readiness have consequences for children as well as Nevada’s workforce and economy.

Commission on Postsecondary Education

Education after high school includes universities, colleges, career training and other pathways that can significantly affect economic opportunity.

Economic Dignity & Workers

Governor’s Workforce Development Board

Workforce policy connects education, employers, workers and Nevada’s economic-development strategy.

Nevada Equal Rights Commission

The commission addresses discrimination in areas including employment and public accommodations.

Employee-Management Committee

Public employees provide many of the services Nevadans depend upon every day. State personnel policy affects those workers and the government’s ability to recruit and retain them.

Creation Care, Water & Public Lands

State Environmental Commission

Environmental regulations affect air, water, pollution, development and public health.

State Conservation Commission

Conservation decisions affect Nevada’s land, soil, water, agriculture and rural communities.

Advisory Board on Outdoor Recreation

Outdoor recreation intersects with conservation, public lands, tourism and economic development.

Colorado River Commission of Nevada

Few resources are more important to Nevada’s future than water and energy. Decisions involving the Colorado River affect millions of people throughout the Southwest.

Energy & Nevada’s Future

Governor’s Office of Energy — Advisory Bodies and Energy Planning

Nevada faces rapidly changing questions involving electricity demand, renewable energy, transmission, affordability and major energy users such as data centers.

Democracy, Ethics & Public Trust

Commission on Ethics

Public trust requires government officials to act in the public interest and follow Nevada’s ethics laws.

Commission on Judicial Selection

When vacancies occur on Nevada’s Supreme Court, Court of Appeals or district courts, the judicial-selection process helps determine who may be appointed to positions with enormous influence over Nevada law and the administration of justice.

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