Nevada Legislature

Join LEAN’s Mission As It Enters New Era

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As the state of Nevada awaits the November 2024 general election and start of its next biennial legislative session in February 2025, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) finds itself in a transition period with plenty of potential for growth in advocacy action ahead.

LEAN’s advocacy work is indeed central to God and the church’s continued presence in the world, and with so much ongoing need among what Jesus called “the least of these” in Matthew 25, the organization will continue speaking up for the voiceless, powerless and marginalized in Nevada, guide by the ELCA’s Social Statements.

A Successful Session

LEAN entered 2024 on the heels of a fruitful 2023 legislative session. A total of 12 bills supported by LEAN on the basis of its main areas of advocacy — Criminal Justice, Health Care, Education, Children and Family, and Housing and Human Dignity — were passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo thanks to the hard work of Advocate Bill Ledford, blessings of the LEAN Policy Council, and continued support of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregations throughout the West, especially those in the Grand Canyon Synod (Southern Nevada) and Sierra Pacific Synod (Northern Nevada). While other supported bills did not make it to the governor’s desk, the session as a whole yielded positive, justice and fairness-driven change at the state level as the world continued to recover from the economic and social shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fond Goodbyes

The year 2023 also brought loss to the LEAN family.

On April 15, Larry Struve, who for more than a decade led the advocacy efforts for LEAN and its previous incarnations including Lutheran Episocopal Advocacy in Nevada, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Nevada and the Religious Alliance in Nevada, passed at age 80 after a long illness. Larry spent more than 26 years in public service, including stints in the Nevada Attorney General’s office and Washoe County District Attorney’s office, and as Director of Nevada’s Commerce Department and Director of Business Finance and Planning for the Nevada Department of Business and Industry. He was also a lifelong member of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Reno.

Larry set the standard for faith-based advocacy in the state, chronicling his efforts in his 2013 book A Humble Walk for Justice: Advocacy for the Least of These in Nevada, 2001-2012. “When the simple act of advocacy directed at the hearts and minds of those entrusted to govern made policy decisions that better served the common good, something was at work that appealed to the better nature of those officials,” he wrote in the book’s introduction. “The words spoken by an advocate, grounded in the wisdom of scripture, helped define what justice required in modern times.”

Larry’s successor, Mike Patterson, passed on November 13. An ordained Episcopal priest and former school teacher, Mike acted as LEAN’s legislative advocate for several years, speaking strongly for state support of the public education system and stronger laws against the scourge of human trafficking. He also led several direct community outreach efforts on LEAN’s behalf, including food drives for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada and what he called “Pencils for Pupils,” which provided school supplies to teachers in at-risk elementary and middle schools.

Larry and Mike were tireless, dedicated, and focused advocates on behalf of thousands of Christian believers in Nevada’s halls of power. Their spirits will live on as LEAN charts its way forward, toward the next legislative session and beyond.

Another Goodbye, New Challenges

In November 2017, LEAN named Bill Ledford as its new legislative advocate on the recommendation of Mike Patterson, who went on to mentor Bill during the 2019 session while continuing on as a policy board member (another experienced Christian advocate and board member, Allan Smith, also served as an interim LEAN advocate and advisor as well as a board member).

Recently relocated to Nevada from Oregon with a young family, Bill brought to LEAN a deep desire to live out his Christian faith as tireless voice for the state’s marginalized residents, including LBGTQI+ communities. He served with distinction through three legislative session even as he attended Lutheran seminary and learned the liturgical and leadership ropes as an intern at Lord of Mercy in Sparks, Nevada. He completed his studies and was recommended for ordination as the new year dawned.

Bill’s commitment to Christian leadership and service was realized with his calling to be pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Logan, Utah, a congregation in the Rocky Mountain Synod of the ELCA. He was ordained as pastor of word and sacrament at Lord of Mercy on March 3 with Rocky Mountain Bishop Jim Gonia presiding, and will begin his pastorate in Utah on March 10.

Bill’s blessed departure positions LEAN at an important crossroads, with much discernment and direction to be undertaken and pursued over the balance of 2024, with input from national and synod leaders, congregations and their pastors, and other interested parties.

While the policy board update its partnership agreements and job descriptions in preparation to seek and identify at least one new legislative advocate—and perhaps two, representing the northern and southern halves of the state—longtime board member Vic Williams will serve as as connection point for Bill’s ministry partners throughout the west and state, reaching out to stakeholders to maintain a continuous conversation regarding ideas, goals and best practices. Meanwhile, the policy board will continue its work to identify and welcome new members to its ranks, with the goal of establishing proper representation from all corners of the state. The board nominally meets monthly via Zoom with the legislature is in session and at least bimonthly during off years, and strives to meet in person periodically as well.

Broad goals for LEAN in the near term also include:

• Identifying and recruiting contacts at the congregational level to keep members apprised of activities, events and advocacy opportunities, and inviting policy input at the pew level

• Planning and coordinating informative, effective, and useful events on a regional or congregational basis. These could include seminars on various public needs and ministry goals, led by LEAN and its advocacy partners, non-profit organization and public assistance agencies, and other stakeholders

• Work more closely with other organizations and agencies to identify opportunities for fundraising and volunteer involvement

LEAN will post updates on policy objectives, staffing and board progress, and other news in the coming months. In the native, Nevadans who feel called to become a LEAN policy board member or serve in some other capacity can contact Vic Williams at vwilliams@leanforjustice.org.

LEAN POLICY BOARD

Pastor Diane Drach-Meinel, President

Dr. Ed Cotton, Vice-President

Vic Williams, Secretary/Treasurer

Pastor Mari Larson, At-Large Member

LEAN Seeks Southern Nevada Legislative Advocate

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JANUARY 3, 2023 — As the 2023 Nevada Legislature prepares to convene its 82nd session on February 6, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) is offering a temporary part-time contracted position for a Southern Nevada Associate Legislative Advocate to help statewide advocate Bill Ledford connect with assembly and senate members, identify and follow legislation that meets LEAN policy board criteria for support or opposition based on Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Social Statements, and keep the board and all LEAN constituents apprised of all legislative developments.

Applicant should be a Southern Nevada resident — specifically Clark and Nye Counties.

Representing member congregations of the Grand Canyon and Sierra Pacific Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) advocates for the common good and promotes public policies that reflect the Christian values of peace, justice, dignity, reconciliation, and empowerment for all people, as well as for care of creation. Advocates on these issues, in both public and private sectors of society, provide representation for those who are denied access to the political process due to current conditions or limitations.

The position is by part-time and arms-length independent contractor agreement will be in effect through June 30, 2023. Offered rate of pay is $16, minimum 8 hours per week, maximum 12 hours per week.

Duties include:

• Meet and engage with Nevada assemblypersons and state senators, electronically and in person when possible, during 2023 legislative session from February 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023, preferably as a registered lobbyist on behalf of Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) and the Grand Canyon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). 

• Attend monthly Zoom board meetings and provide full report of activities, legislation updates, etc.

• Monitor all potential and fully written assembly and senate legislation, including Bill Draft Requests (BDRs) and joint resolutions, as listed on official Nevada Legislature website, on a regular basis

• Identify bills with language and goals that fit LEAN’s advocacy mission and ELCA Social Statement guidelines. Make recommendations to Board on which bills to target for advocacy engagement. The LEAN board will select targeted legislation based on ELCA Social Statement guidelines and in keeping with LEAN’s mission statement. Areas of interest include hunger, social justice, criminal justice, education, children/family, housing, financial equality, and human dignity.

• Create spreadsheet listing “target” legislation as directed by Board and maintain spreadsheet with updates on each bill’s progress.

• Follow selected legislation through all stages of development and report progress board regularly. 

• Arrange regular in-person interaction with Southern Nevada ELCA congregations to offer updates on LEAN-endorsed legislation, based on ELCA Social Statement parameters

• Advocate for clergy and parishioners to follow LEAN initiatives and activities and become involved in the organization’s mission

• Participate and help organize LEAN events such as hunger simulations or educational seminars

Interested parties are invited to e-mail leanforjustice@gmail.com

LEAN Endorses Nevada State Ballot Questions 1 and 2

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Nevada’s early and mail-in voting runs Oct. 22-Nov. 4 in advance of the Nov. 8 general election, and LEAN is prepared to endorse two of the three State Questions that, if passed, would alter current Nevada State Constitution language.

After careful consideration, and guided by the ELCA Social Messages and Statements, LEAN advocate Bill Ledford and the LEAN policy board strongly endorse Question 1­, which would expand language guaranteeing equal rights to all. We also endorse, with certain understandings and acknowledgements, Question 2, which simplifies language that makes $12 per hour the minimum wage in Nevada beginning in 2024.

In keeping with Nevada Constitution-enshrined process, should Questions 1 and 2 pass, they would become law. Question 3, an initiative petition that promises changing the state’s primary voting process, would return to the ballot in 2024 should it pass legislative muster as a bill during the 2023 session. LEAN remains neutral on Question 3 since it deals directly with how candidates would be elected.

Here is the condensed language Question 1 as presented on the official ballot:

Senate Joint Resolution No. of the 80th Session: 

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended by adding a specific guarantee that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by this State or any of its cities, counties, or other political subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry, or national origin?

This question earns LEAN’s strong endorsement for a “YES” vote. Its language reflects scriptural tenets of justice, fairness, mercy, social equality, and equal protection under the law – the very beliefs Jesus lived by, through word and action, as written in the gospels and acted upon throughout the New Testament, most powerfully in texts such as Matthew 25, which remains LEAN’s guiding scripture. And it fits into the parameters put forth in the ELCA’s Social Message on Human Rights.

Here is the condensed language Question 2 as presented on the official ballot:

Assembly Joint Resolution No. 10 of the 80th Session:

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended, effective July 1, 2024, to: (1) establish the State’s minimum wage that employers must pay to certain employees at a rate of $12 per hour worked, subject to any applicable increases above that $12 rate provided by federal law or enacted by the Nevada Legislature; (2) remove the existing provisions setting different rates for the minimum wage based on whether the employer offers certain health benefits to such employees; and (3) remove the existing provisions for adjusting the minimum wage based on applicable increases in the cost of living?

This question deals with a constitutional change that LEAN has advocated for in the past: Increasing Nevada’s minimum wage to a livable, viable level. Though we believe that $12 per hour is still inadequate given ongoing cost of living challenges for Nevada workers and families, and indeed represents a legislative compromise in the two most recent sessions, it is far better than the $10.50 per hour currently enshrined in the Nevada State Constitution ($9.50 for those whose employer offers health insurance benefits). And though the minimum wage is already slated to increase to $12 in 2024, this Question’s passage would remove the language maintaining Nevada’s current tiered structure, which allows employers to pay a dollar less per hour if they also offer health insurance. We believe that simplifying the language to put all employees at the $12 level — with the ability for the legislature to raise the wage in the future, either on their own or in keeping with federal guidelines — is ultimately beneficial to workers and their families.

However, LEAN endorses a yes vote on Question 2 with the understanding that it is, by its nature and in keeping with state law, a more “permanent” change since it is indeed enshrined at the Constitutional level. We also understand that the law would be altered, as expressed in part 3 of Question 2, to remove language allowing for automatic cost of living increases. In the final analysis, we see this a plus for workers and families, since it would take nearly a decade for cost-of-living adjustments currently provided by the Nevada Constitution to exceeed the $12 per hour minimum. With that language removed, the mimimum wage could be raised sooner and more effectively.

Again, early voting runs Oct. 22-Nov. 4. Completed ballots can also be mailed up to and including election day, as long as the are postmarked by Nov. 8 and arrive at the country registar of voter’s office within four days of election day. They can also be dropped off at any early voting location or at your county’s main office.

If you are a first-time Nevada voter or need to update your voter registration, visit www.RegisterToVote.NV.gov.

Join LEAN For Nevada Legislature Primer

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Zoom Event Shows How To Connect With Lawmakers, Follow Bills

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN), a statewide faith-based organization that advocates for just and fair legislation and public policy for all Nevadans, will host a special Zoom workshop as the 2021 Nevada Legislature prepares to open its bi-annual session on February 1. “Connecting with the Nevada Legislature 101:  Advocating for our Neighbor as Lutherans” takes place on Thursday, January 28 at 2 p.m.

LEAN speaks at the Legislature through its Advocate, Bill Ledford, on matters that affect the most vulnerable in our state and in relation to the ELCA statements about social justice as decided by its board members. LEAN also strives to educate parishioners on the issues and on ways to be engaged, effective citizens. 

Bishop Deborah Hutterer of the Grand Canyon Synod

In this workshop, participants will:

• Hear from our Bishop Deborah Hutterer of the Grand Canyon Synod, on calling Christians to speak publicly on behalf of “the least of these my brothers and sisters.”

• Learn how you can find your way around the Nevada Legislature website

• Learn where to find potential new laws being presented this session 

• How to effectively communication with legislators

• Grow in seeing how the ELCA Social Statements guide LEAN’s advocacy efforts

Click here to join this engaging event on Zoom.

Meeting ID: 850 3440 4792
Passcode: 629332
If calling in by phone, click here to find your local number.  

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada is a partnership effort of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), through the Division for Church in Society (the Division) and the Grand Canyon and Sierra Pacific Synods.

For Lutherans It’s ‘Us Too’

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By Sheila Freed

At the end of September, the country was absorbed in a real-life soap opera, broadcast live from a hearing room in the U.S. Senate. The Brett Kavanaugh hearing was just the latest event in a year’s worth of controversy over sexual assault and harassment. The Me Too movement seemingly just happened last year. One might be surprised to know that the ELCA identified and addressed gender-based violence in 2015.

ELCA Social Messages are second in rank below the Social Statements, and are typically used when the church wants to speak out on an issue that needs immediate attention. Social Messages are adopted by the Church Council, and do not require the lengthy deliberation of a Social Statement. So the [churchwide] Church Council adopted a message on gender-based violence in late 2015.

The introductory paragraph says, “Gender-based violence is an ancient sin that for thousands of years has harmed countless women, children, and men. It is a sin that Christians need to recognize, understand, and confront, for our religious history also bears its stain.” The message then recounts a shocking story from Second Samuel, in which Amnon, King David’s firstborn son, rapes his half-sister Tamar. King David learns of it, but does nothing to punish Amnon, whom David loved and intended to succeed him as king. How many versions of this story have we all heard?

The message goes on to explore the ways we are all involved in gender based violence, which is defined as “physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, or other personal harm inflicted on someone for gender-based reasons.” Included are hurts some don’t think of as gender based violence, such as harassment, coercion, elder and child abuse, and pornography. The message notes that the factors contributing to gender based violence are deeply woven into society and our individual lives. It says we all share in the brokenness and judgment brought on by this sin. It points out that we are all survivors, perpetrators, and bystanders.

The message bluntly states, [Gender-based violence] “occurs in the church, in workplaces, the educational system, city streets, war, the military, and the health care system. It occurs, for example, by acquaintances, friends, strangers, caregivers, teachers, clergy, coaches, and work supervisors. Through this violence, someone creates or maintains power and control over someone else. God calls us to love. Gender-based violence is not love.”

The message goes on, “Acts of gender-based violence always involve sinful individual choices to exercise power and control. The choice to inflict violence is a personal responsibility.” . . . . “While individuals are culpable, social systems influence individuals’ actions. This church has proclaimed that God’s grace calls us not only to confront individual sin, but also to confront sin in social systems.” The message talks about how patriarchy and racism in our society and the church contribute to gender-based violence.

Advocacy is our response to God’s call to confront the sins in our social system. LEAN is already working to learn about the bills that will come up in the 2019 Nevada Legislative Session. We know of at least one Bill Draft Request (14-87) by Assemblyman Steve Yeager, about protecting rights of sexual assault victims. We will be watching this and other bills as more is known. However the Social Message makes clear that gender-based violence is more that criminal acts. The power relationships we all engage in and tacitly allow are sin, and we need God’s forgiveness and love to deal with it. It is Us Too.

The Sierra Pacific Synod, of which Northern Nevada’s ELCA congregations are a part, recently published a link in its newsletter to a call to action regarding the August 2019 nationwide Churchwide Assembly and the opportunities to add much-needed language to the church’s Social Statements. You can read it here, and please take a moment to watch this eye-opening video regarding the persistent obstacles and offensive language current and potential female ELCA pastors encounter in some congregations.