If AB405 fails to get a hearing this session, two people will get credit for spiking a common sense parental notification law – a form of which already exists in 38 other states. Girls as young as 11 or 12 will not be able to sign a contract for a phone, get her teeth cleaned, go on a school field trip, get her ears pierced, get an aspirin at school or get a tattoo without a parents consent. Yet that same LITTLE girl will be able to get an abortion, an invasive surgical procedure, without a single parent or guaredain ever KNOWING.

Who will get credit for killing this no-brainer of a bill? Majority Leader Michael Roberson and Finance Chair Ben Kieckhefer. 

Both are standing in the way of moving this bill into the proper committee, Health and Human Services. Why? Simple. They are still acting like they are in the minority. For the past many, many decades they have been able to play both sides of every issue. They are used to being able to promise they “WOULD” support insert issue here, IF ONLY the Republicans were in control. By golly, they are in control. And after all this time, what do their loyal constituents get continual lies, avoidance, and mocking. Just a few examples:

• The #fantomfiscalnote of $2million.
• The bill is dead! Except that the deadline for a bill with a #fantomfiscalnote and exemption is May 27.
• You don’t understand the process and you are taking too much of my time.

Here are the facts.

• Kieckhefer could release the bill to HHS if he wanted to.
• Roberson could move this bill if he wanted to.
• Brower could expend a tiny bit of political capital in the caucus room and move this bill, if he wanted to.
• Harris could at least take a meeting to have this bill explained to her and no longer believe the lies someone is telling her, if she wanted to.
• If the Governor cared, he could call the majority leader and finance chair and ask them to quit “protecting him” especially if he really hasn’t asked for the protection.

Here’s the deal fellas. We as constituents have the right to petition our government for redress of grievances. Once that fails, we have the responsibility to work toward a more responsive, transparent government.

If the bill dies, it lies squarely at the feet of Kieckhefer and Roberson. Thousands of parents will not forget.

Please continue to politely contact the Senators and Governor:

Roberson: 775-684-1481

Kieckhefer: 775-684-1450

Brower: 775-684-1419

Governor Sandoval: 775-684-5670

Emails: Remember to put SUPPORT AB405 in the Subject line

Michael.Roberson@sen.state.nv.us, Ben.Kieckhefer@sen.state.nv.us, Greg.Brower@sen.state.nv.us

AB405 remains in the Senate Finance Committee. Without a hearing, AB405 will die on May 15. There will be no further opportunity to establish just and common sense parental involvement for girls under 18 seeking an invasive surgical procedure – an abortion – until February 2017.

The legislature is dealing with the pressure of the budget, an all-consuming activity for the Finance Committee. As such, it makes no sense for the Finance Committee to hold on to a bill that according to NELIS has NO fiscal impact on the state. The Assembly removed the portion of the bill that had a Fiscal Note of $71K per biennium and to this date no one can produce the much ballyhooed phantom fiscal note of $2 million.

ACTION:

May 6, 10am, Legislative Building 401 S. Carson St., Carson City: Join concerned parents, grandparents and citizens as we visit our Senators and ask them nicely to re-refer AB405 to Health and Human Services, give it a hearing and a vote. Bring friends. We will meet outside the Carson St. entrance at 10am.

Call AND email Ben Kieckhefer 775-684-1450/Ben.Kieckhefer@sen.state.nv.us and encourage him nicely to surrender control of this bill to a committee that actually deals with related issues like teen pregnancy, teen suicide, teen abortion, and maternal health. Ask him to reconsider his stated goal of killing this bill.

Call AND email Michael Roberson, Majority Leader of the Senate, 775-684-1481 Michael.Roberson@sen.state.nv.us and remind him of his support of parental notification during the 2011 session. Leader Roberson was willing to sign a letter requesting the Attorney General to pursue enforcement of Nevada’s enjoined parental notification statute, is he willing to put in the same effort with his colleague, Senator Kieckhefer?

. 

Call and email your senator and express your support for AB405 and request that he or she do all in his or her power to move this bill to the Governor’s desk. Find your Senator here.

Session after session, legislators have always had multiple issues to consider. Yet the Republican leadership refuses to consider extending the same protection to girls under 18 that their male counterparts enjoy – namely parental involvement in all medical procedures! For whatever reason, abortion remains a PROTECTED invasive surgery that a girl as young as 11 can consent to without a parents EVER KNOWING.

“They have more important things to do, like approve the Governor’s tax package,” is a constant refrain heard from senators, staff and powerful lobbyists in Carson.

Meanwhile, girls are asked to face – completely alone and isolated from her family – one of the greatest stressors possible, a crisis pregnancy. Secret abortions support predators, sex traffickers and coercive boyfriends – they certainly do not benefit the young girls who then must carry that secret around for the rest of their lives.

ACTION: PLEASE CALL THE FOLLOWING SENATORS ASAP AND ASK THEM TO RE-REFER AB405 TO HHS, GIVE IT A HEARING AND PASS IT. PROTECT TEENS AND PROTECT PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES!

Ben Kieckhefer – 775-684-1450 

Ben.Kieckhefer@sen.state.nv.us

Greg Brower – 775-684-1419

Greg.Brower@sen.state.nv.us

Michael Roberson – 775-684-1481 

Michael.Roberson@sen.state.nv.us

Downloads for Action:

Half page flyer with phone numbers and emails: actionflyer

Petition: petitionpn

Friday, April 17, 2015, AB405 – parental notification for underage girls seeking an abortion – cleared the first house by a vote of 24-15. This was an amazing victory given that a week before the Associated Press had declared the bill dead.

Please take a moment to thank each of the members of the Assembly who supported parents and teens:

Paul.Anderson@asm.state.nv.us, Derek.Armstrong@asm.state.nv.us, Jill.Dickman@asm.state.nv.us, Vicki.Dooling@asm.state.nv.us, Chris.Edwards@asm.state.nv.us, John.Ellison@asm.state.nv.us, Michele.Fiore@asm.state.nv.us, David.Gardner@asm.state.nv.us, John.Hambrick@asm.state.nv.us, Ira.Hansen@asm.state.nv.us, Pat.Hickey@asm.state.nv.us, Brent.Jones@asm.state.nv.us, Randy.Kirner@asm.state.nv.us, John.Moore@asm.state.nv.us, Erven.Nelson@asm.state.nv.us, PK.Oneill@asm.state.nv.us, James.Oscarson@asm.state.nv.us, Victoria.Seaman@asm.state.nv.us, Shelly.Shelton@asm.state.nv.us, Stephen.Silberkraus@asm.state.nv.us, Lynn.Stewart@asm.state.nv.us, Robin.Titus@asm.state.nv.us, Glenn.Trowbridge@asm.state.nv.us, Jim.Wheeler@asm.state.nv.us

AB405 now goes to the Senate, where it will have a hearing before the HHS committee. To become law, it must pass out of committee then go before the full Senate. Once it passes there, the Governor must sign the bill. At that point, pre-teen and teen girls and their families will finally be protected.

On April 10, 2015, Assembly Judiciary held a hearing on AB405 – Parental Notification for underage girls seeking an abortion. Later that evening, Asm. Judiciary passed the bill with amendment removing the reporting sections of the bill. It now goes to the Assembly Floor.

To watch the hearing click below. AB405 starts at 1:32.

https://nvleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=14&clip_id=4279&embed=1

Ohrenschall, Diaz, Anderson and Araujo vote no.

Nelson, Fiore, Jones, Trowbridge, Gardner, O’Neill, Seaman, Hansen vote yes.

The Assembly Judiciary heard testimony today on AB405, Parental Notification. Testimony in favor included:

• History of PN in NV
• Construction of the bill
• OB-Gyn Doctor
• Crisis Pregnancy Center of Reno
• Living Grace Maternity Homes
• A family harmed by secret abortions
• A middle school educator

Once the full testimony is available online, it will be posted here.

4:43pm Working session will start soon. You can view it here: http://nvleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?event_id=4527