Nevada lawmakers on Wednesday recognized 'Denim Day,' to rally against sexual violence by wearing denim during the Senate floor session.

Denim Day began after an Italian Supreme Court ruling overturned a rape conviction when the justices alleged the victim - who was said to have worn tight jeans - must have helped her attacker remove them, implying consent.

State Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro - D-Las Vegas - who worked as a prosecutor for more than a decade, said when survivors of sexual crimes come forward to share their experience, they are often blamed for what happened.

"I know that we can do better, for survivors and for victims," said Cannizzaro. "And so, I just want everyone to know that the denim you see today is a statement that no one deserves or asks to be a victim of sexual violence or sexual assault."

Cannizzaro said she is proud of the work the Nevada Legislature has done to help de-stigmatize and support survivors of sexual violence.

She said since 2017, the state has passed laws to accelerate timelines for rape-kit processing, as well as expand privacy protections for people who've been taken advantage of by those who use their authority to commit sexual assault.

According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, or RAINN, an American is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds.

One in six women has had to deal with the threat of rape, but men and boys are also victims of sexual violence - as one out of every 10 rape victims is male.

Democratic state Sen. Melanie Scheible - D-Las Vegas - called it "heartening" to see how many of her colleagues were wearing denim in Wednesday's session.

"We stand in solidarity with victim survivors," said Scheible, "and will continue to fight to make this a better place for them to live, where they have equal access to justice."

Lawmakers realize there's a lot of work still to be done.

RAINN states the vast majority of perpetrators don't see any prison or jail time for their crimes. Out of 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators walk free.




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A piece of legislation is headed to Gov. Joe Lombardo's desk which would allow medical aid in dying in Nevada.

Last week, Senate Bill 239 made its way out of the state assembly on a 23-19 vote, which could give terminally ill adults the option to request a medical prescription for a peaceful death in the Silver State.

Sara Manns, Nevada campaign director for the Compassion & Choices Action Network, said she is thankful to Sen. Edgar Flores, D-Las Vegas, "for shepherding it through" what she called a "challenging legislative obstacle course."

Manns added the support for the law is "overwhelming," and according to a new poll by the group, 82% of Nevadans support medical-aid-in-dying legislation.

"Regardless of political affiliation, regardless of religion, regardless of rural, urban," Manns outlined. "This is something where once people know what it is, they would want to have it available to them. Would they all want to do it? Of course not."

Manns emphasized it has taken the Nevada End of Life Options Act eight years since its initial introduction in 2015 to get to this point. She noted her group, like many, is hopeful the governor will sign the bill. She added once the bill reaches his desk, he will have 10 days to sign it.

Lynda Brooks-Bracey, 57, a Las Vegas mother of four with terminal metastatic pancreatic cancer, said she was "excited" and feeling "anticipatory" when she found the bill had made it past the second house.

Brooks-Bracey learned she was terminally ill in February 2021. During her last months of life, she has made it her mission to be an advocate for the measure. Brooks-Bracey stressed she and her family feel hopeful Lombardo will approach the bill in a neutral manner and pay attention to what Nevadans want.

"It has taken time to get the right bill, at the right time, that's clean, in front of this new governor here in Nevada that we have elected," Brooks-Bracey recalled. "And that he is neutral, that he is considering it, that he's looking at it. I think all things have come together in an appropriate time frame that Nevadans want it. They're ready for it."

Eleven jurisdictions have authorized medical aid in dying including 10 states and the District of Columbia. Compassion & Choices said no governor has ever vetoed a medical-aid-in-dying bill in any of the six states passing laws via legislative action.

The rise of medical cannabis dispensaries in Georgia is highlighting the need for reform and equitable access.

One of the state's first dispensaries opened in April, offering easier access to low THC medical cannabis oils for some patients.

Valeria Valdepeña, executive director of the advocacy group Peachtree NORML, stressed there are still questions about cannabis equity and accessibility in the program, among other concerns.

"Reforming laws in general will have a wide effect on a lot of different aspects of people's lives," Valdepeña pointed out. "There's overcrowding in our prison system, there's people dying there for drug charges there's people that have felony records that impacts housing, school loans and keeps them in this poverty-stricken cycle."

Currently, first-offense possession for an ounce or less of cannabis carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in prison, and more than 40,000 Georgians are arrested every year for marijuana possession.

Apart from laws reforming marijuana arrests, Valdepeña highlighted the challenge faced by rural residents in accessing necessary resources due to the locations of existing dispensaries.

"I think we are going to need more dispensaries," Valdepeña asserted. "We are going to need delivery obviously because if you live out in rural areas it's going to be hard to come into Metro Atlanta to pick up your medicine, you can't get to the dispensary if they are a far enough distance. So I think from an accessible standpoint -- from a practical standpoint -- those are things that are going to need to be addressed."

Since 2015, the number of patients in the Georgia Department of Public Health's Low-THC Oil Patient Registry has surged more than 50%, from 13,000 to more than 27,000.


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Over the past decade, Minnesota has seen a 38% increase in residents who identify as Latino or Hispanic. Amid a tight labor market, a new report suggests they could play a big role in bolstering the region's workforce.

This spring, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development issued findings that lay out opportunities and challenges for this population when it comes to economic well-being.

For example, Latinos have the highest regional labor force participation rate of any race or origin group - but there are disparities, such as household income.

Henry Jiménez - board member for Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL-MN), which is a member-based organization leading social change - suggested employers improve their hiring efforts for well-paying jobs.

"I can tell you right now I hate hearing when folks say, 'Oh, we're having a hard time finding talent,'" said Jiménez. "I can tell you that there's a lot of talent here in Minnesota, and again there's a disconnect with connecting the current pool of qualified candidates."

He encouraged businesses to do more outreach through media outlets that serve Spanish-speaking audiences.

The report says in 2021, 14% of the state's Hispanic or Latino population had incomes below the poverty level, compared with just 7% of white residents.

Jiménez said he also hopes Latino entrepreneurs take note of the population surge and seek out ways to expand their reach.

"There's clearly a need for more produce, products and services by Latinos for Latinos," said Jiménez.

But Jiménez, who also is president of Minnesota's Latino Economic Development Center, noted that access to business loans is a barrier for Latinos.

Meanwhile, manufacturing is the biggest job sector for the state's Hispanic or Latino population. But within the past decade, there's been a more than 300% increase in these individuals being hired for health-care and social-assistance jobs.