Party Platform
Civil Rights & Personal Liberties
Key Issues
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Civil Rights and Personal Liberties – Party Platform 2020
Equality Under Law
1.
We believe that the rights of individuals as enumerated in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights must be protected and respected, and that violations must be more aggressively prosecuted to protect those rights, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, income level, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, marital or family status, disability, credit history, criminal record, or political affiliation.
2.
We support enforcement of legislation to ban discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
3.
We support passage of the Equality Act, which amends the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity in public and private employment, housing, and provision of goods and services.
4.
We oppose racial profiling.
5.
We support the principle that personal liberties under the Bill of Rights should apply only to natural persons, not corporations.
6.
We condemn indefinite detention without due process as unconstitutional and a violation of human rights.
7.
We believe in the fundamental right of self-determination and the constitutional right to privacy for each individual to manage their own reproductive rights and decisions regarding sexuality, and decisions regarding with whom they enter into a marriage contract – all without government interference.
8.
We support affirmative action.
9.
We support the Commission on Minority Affairs in Nevada.
10.
We support statehood for Washington, D.C.
11.
We support statehood for Puerto Rico.
12.
We support the Black Lives Matter movement.
13.
We support efforts to end violence against the LGBTQIA+ community, which disproportionately affects transgender women of color.
14.
We encourage accurate data collection, analysis, and research to develop training and educational initiatives aimed at ending violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals.
15.
We support the enforcement and expansion of sex discrimination provisions provided in Section 1557 of the ACA to include LGBTQIA+ and non-gender conforming individuals in seeking and receiving healthcare services.
16.
We support a national ban on conversion therapy.
17.
We support amending the Nevada Constitution to remove the language defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
18.
We support a fair and accurate census.
19.
We oppose all efforts to intimidate hard-to-count communities in responding to the census.
20.
We oppose the action of Nevada agencies providing any data not available to the public to the Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of collecting citizenship and immigration information through administrative records.
21.
We believe that Women’s Rights are fundamental Human and Civil Rights.
22.
We support “The Landmark Declaration”, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948, that “everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, birth, or other status.”
23.
We support the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, which through litigation, advocacy, and public education, advances change and systemic reform in institutions that perpetuate discrimination against women.
24.
We support the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the United States Constitution that guarantees equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of gender.
25.
We support the right of all individuals to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination; to be educated, own property, vote, and to earn a fair and equal wage.
26.
We support all public and private efforts to eliminate gender bias and inequity in government service and corporate structures.
27.
We support an individual’s right to bodily integrity and autonomy for their own reproductive rights and freedom from sexual violence.
28.
We support requiring employers to provide paid, long-term family leave for birthing and child rearing.
29.
We support all domestic and global efforts that eliminate child marriage, sex trafficking, forced labor and all types of slavery.
30.
We support the fundamental right to privacy and reproductive freedom of choice as established by Roe v. Wade and believe individual people, not government, can best take responsibility for making personal decisions about their own reproduction.
Health Care
31.
We believe that health care is a right.
32.
We stand for and support affordable and accessible universal health care.
33.
We oppose discrimination in health care based on age, race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, religious affiliation, or pre-existing condition.
34.
We support access to not only health and medical care for all, but also preventive care, general physical and mental health care, elder care, long-term care, dental care, vision care, and hearing care, regardless of the ability to pay or any pre-existing conditions.
35.
We support the continued maintenance and improvement of public health efforts.
36.
We support the expansion of health education and information to the general public, including but not limited to such topics as preventive care, exercise, nutrition, advance directive, living will, and end-of-life decisions.
37.
We support the expansion of scientific research into all areas of health and medicine.
38.
We oppose partisan-based efforts to prevent scientific research into public health issues related to gun violence, safety, and ownership.
39.
We believe women’s health must be protected against policies that devalue women, such as defining fetal “personhood” at a woman’s expense or policies that would remove or limit access to the full range of health care and decisions.
40.
We continue to support comprehensive health care regulation that ensures affordable health care coverage for women, guarantees access to free birth control, the right to reproductive freedom, affordable preventive screenings for cancer and other life-saving tests, and protects women against gender discrimination by private insurers.
41.
We support the fundamental right of women to safe, legal, affordable, and accessible reproductive health care, including contraception; pregnancy termination; and preventive health screenings, education, and support programs.
42.
We support the restoration of patient protections established by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act. We further support the expansion of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, with continued review of available health care plans to ensure true affordability for both individuals and families.
43.
We support efforts to eliminate health disparities, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities.
44.
We support expanded and improved Medicare and Medicaid services, benefits, and administration, including inclusion of dental, vision, and hearing care.
45.
We support the use of health care best practices and standards as included in the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical HealthAct (HITECH) mandating electronic health records, privacy, and security.
46.
We support the development of a government-run option for health insurance, as originally conceived by the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act.
47.
We support expansion of services and funding for adults requiring caregivers.
48.
We support expansion of services and funding for individuals requiring highly specialized care throughout their lives.
49.
We support greater funding for senior-related diseases and conditions.
50.
We believe substance use disorders (substance abuse) should be regarded as a public health issue, not a criminal offense, and support expansion of services and funding.
51.
We encourage the expansion of mental health resources in the State of Nevada.
52.
We support greater funding for research into and care of those with complex disorders of brain development and brain functionality loss.
53.
We support Medicare and Medicaid’s right to negotiate for less expensive, high-quality prescription drugs to be facilitated by prescription pricing transparency.
54.
We support medical research aimed at preventing and curing disease and alleviating suffering of humans, while minimizing the use of animal experimentation or vivisection.
55.
We oppose the use of animals in non-humane ways during development and testing of products.
56.
We support continued regulation of the medical marijuana industry.
57.
We support removing Federal and state barriers to medical cannabis research and replacing them with a regulatory and funding structure enabling research by public and private institutions.
58.
We support allowing Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical and health care professionals the ability to discuss cannabis as an alternative to other medications without reprisal or penalty.
59.
We support and encourage designating the opioid epidemic as a national emergency and fully funding effective programs and grants to assist communities mitigating the opioid epidemic.
60.
We strongly support locally and nationally expanded training programs in proper application of Naloxone (also known as NARCAN®) for individuals who work with populations at risk for opioid addiction.
61.
We believe that religion or personal ideologies should belong to the human person only (not to include the legal construct of a corporate “person”). The state and the law should maximize freedom of access and available options for health care, including abortion care and end-of-life decisions.
62.
We support the expansion of access to health care through the use of technologies, including tele-medicine programs.
63.
We support parity in access to mental health and behavioral health in all public and private funding of health care.
64.
We oppose high-risk insurance pools and short-term insurance policies that disqualify individuals based on pre-existing conditions.
65.
We support repeal of the Hyde Amendment, the Helms Amendment, the Domestic Gag Rule, and the Global Gag Rule.
66.
We support allowing Nevada residents to buy into the Medicaid program in Nevada.
67.
We support elimination of the “donut hole” in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage gap.
68.
We support the elimination of vaccination exemptions for public school students without a documented medical reason.
69.
We oppose parental notification requirements that put an unnecessary burden on young people to access reproductive health services.
70.
We support training medical students in the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including the provision of abortion services.
71.
We support the establishment of a state license in Nevada for Certified Professional Midwives.
72.
We support medically accurate, inclusive, consent-based, and developmentally appropriate sexual education in public schools.
73.
We support legislation to lower prescription drug costs in Nevada and nationwide.
74.
We support all public and private efforts and strongly encourage increased funding to end the spread of HIV/AIDS through prevention and treatment.
Housing
75.
We support enforcement of legislation that bans discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations,
76.
We recommend that residential zoning should focus first on urban infill areas and reduce further urban sprawl.
77.
We support affordable housing for low-income and middle-income residents.
78.
We support an overall expansion of rental housing stock in the community.
79.
We support legislation to prohibit deficiency judgments in the event of real property short sales.
80.
We support a requirement that, in any foreclosure proceeding in Nevada, the foreclosing party must produce proper documents, including each valid assignment of the deed of trust and each valid endorsement of the promissory note, proving the status of its right to enforce.
81.
We oppose the granting of building permits for housing developments, especially low-income housing developments, on known flood plains without adequate flood mitigation plans.
82.
We oppose requiring people to disclose if they are an ex-offender on housing applications (“banning the box”).
83.
We support a Tenants’ Bill of Rights to protect Nevadans from predatory landlords.
84.
We acknowledge that houses are healthcare and support the construction of social housing units and permanent supportive housing.
85.
We support reparations for years of housing segregation.
86.
We oppose overdevelopment and sprawl that leads to overextension of available resources.
87.
We oppose gentrification, displacement, and homelessness.
88.
We support the democratization of development so communities can decide their future.
89.
We oppose any effort to criminalize Nevadans without homes or facing housing insecurity.
90.
We support limiting rental increases to a specific percent after contracts expire.
91.
We support requiring renewable energy sources in all new housing developments.
Justice
92.
We believe in a fair and just application of the civil and criminal justice systems regardless of race, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socio-economic status.
93.
We believe in civil and criminal justice systems that protect victims and defendants, promote fair sentencing and appropriate safeguards for juvenile offenders, and ensure safe prisons.
94.
We support a comprehensive rehabilitation system to enable released prisoners to become productive members of society and to have their civil rights restored.
95.
We support national decriminalization of marijuana and that its use be regulated on an equivalent basis as alcohol.
96.
We support expunging from an individual’s criminal recordconvictions solely for personal possession or personal use of marijuana.
97.
We support abolition of the death penalty.
98.
We oppose privatization of the penal system.
99.
We oppose mandated sentencing guidelines.
100.
We support sentencing guidelines that emphasize education, rehabilitation, and re-socialization.
101.
We support reduction in incarceration that will result in savings that can be used for education, rehabilitation, and re-socialization.
102.
We support enforcement of the three-day waiting period and the requirement of criminal background checks for all gun purchases in Nevada, including gun shows and private sales. Background checks must include information on felony convictions, domestic violence and or animal abuse complaints/convictions, and temporary restraining orders.
103.
We support the immediate implementation of the Nevada Revised Statute prohibiting, except in certain circumstances, a person from selling or transferring a firearm to another person unless a federally licensed dealer first conducts a federal background check on the potential buyer or transferee.
104.
We support additional resources for defendants in mental health courts and other specialty courts.
105.
We oppose the ‘War on Drugs” as presently constituted at all levels of government because of its disparate impact on disadvantaged communities.
106.
We support funding to ensure full implementation of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and the Family Violence Prevention Services Act (FVPSA).
107.
We support the use of alternative sentencing for non-violent offenders.
108.
We support the use of body cameras by police officers, as cameras protect both citizens and officers.
109.
We support the 21st Century Community Policing model.
110.
We oppose militarization of police departments except SWAT.
111.
We support intervention, education, counseling, medical services, mental health services, and shelter services for victims of crimes, including but not limited to any kind of abuse and/or human trafficking.
112.
We support reformation of our current cash bail system so that it no longer functions as a modern-day debtor’s prison.
113.
We support development and implementation of protocols to eliminate individuals with extremist ideologies from law enforcement.
114.
We support the establishment of civilian review boards for incidents where police shoot or kill unarmed individuals.
115.
We oppose Stand Your Ground laws for instances outside of an individual’s home or vehicle.