Steve Sisolak for governor 2022

Steve Sisolak for governor

Steve Sisolak was born into a midwest working-class family. His parents Ed and Mary worked hard to provide for their three children and Steve inherited their blue-collar ethic, working full-time to put himself through college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Steve then enrolled in UNLV’s Graduate Studies Program, where he received a master’s degree in 1978.

Steve put down roots in Las Vegas, built his own communications business while raising his two daughters on his own as a single father. Both his daughters attended Nevada’s public schools and UNLV, where Ashley earned her law degree and Carley earned her master’s degree. In 2018, Steve married his wife Kathy Sisolak.

As Governor, Steve prioritized students, parents, and educators in his fight to improve Nevada’s public education system by providing teachers with a raise, getting students back in the classroom as soon as it was safe, and rebuilding aging schools and building more than a dozen new schools.

When Republicans were attacking the Affordable Care Act, he made protections for preexisting conditions permanent, ended surprise billing, and joined the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium to negotiate lower drug prices. Nevada became only the second state in the nation to pass a public health insurance option that will lower premiums and provide better access to care.

When Nevada became the hardest-hit state due to COVID-19, Steve rolled up his sleeves and got to work for families, small businesses, workers and students. Steve prioritized lives and livelihoods at every step. He secured more than $100 million in grants that helped nearly 10,000 small businesses, brought nearly 100 new businesses offering high-paying jobs to the state, and signed legislation protecting hospitality workers’ jobs.

He understands the challenges Nevadans are facing, which is why he worked to lower costs by investing federal relief funds in expanding childcare, affordable housing, workforce development, and finding solutions to expand access to health care and lower the cost of prescription drugs. He kept his campaign promise from 2018 never to raise taxes on everyday Nevadans and he’s going to maintain that promise in a second term.

ECONOMY AND JOBS

Steve was raised in a blue-collar family and worked to put himself through college before starting his own small business. He knows what it’s like to work hard and build a better life for your family and he’s committed to making it easier for every Nevadan to do the same.

That’s why, since taking office, Steve has worked tirelessly to diversify our economy, create new jobs, and build an economy that works for every Nevadan. Thanks to his leadership, Nevada is experiencing one of the fastest recoveries in the country following COVID-19: our economy has been ranked best in the nation for two quarters in a row, Nevada’s employment growth is fastest in the nation, our unemployment rate has dropped each month since May 2020, tourism is up and – more importantly – wages are, too.

Thanks to Steve, our state is positioned to come back stronger than ever.

Steve’s philosophy on growing our economy is simple: keep Nevada a low-tax state, build a world-class workforce, support small businesses and tourism while expanding other industries, and ensure Nevada stays welcoming and inclusive to recruit new families and businesses to our state.

In a second term, Steve will follow through on these goals by:

• Not raising a penny in new taxes on everyday Nevadans. The same promise he made and kept in his first term.
• Investing in education and making community college and other workforce training programs free for more Nevadans by 2025.
• Cutting bureaucratic red tape to help businesses get off the ground faster.
• Investing in small businesses, making Nevada the breeding ground for innovative start-ups, and providing early support for our entrepreneurs who want to put down roots in our home state.
• Only signing policies that keep Nevada welcoming, inclusive, and open for business. New businesses and families help our economy grow, but Steve is also committed to protecting the well-being of Nevadans who’ve called the Silver State home for generations. That’s why he followed through on his promise to not raise taxes on everyday Nevadans, increased the minimum wage, and lowered health care, child care, and housing costs for families in every corner of our state.

Steve is laser-focused on building an economy that works for every Nevadan, not just those at the top. In a second term, he’ll build on our progress, lower costs, and keep taxes low to help every family achieve the American Dream.

PUBLIC SAFETY

As governor, Steve has taken steps to improve public safety, reduce crime, and ensure law enforcement officers are well-paid and well-trained.

During his first term, Steve took significant steps to curb gun violence by banning bump stocks, closing the gun show loophole, and requiring common-sense background checks on all gun sales. Steve is committed to protecting our communities from gun violence and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals.

Under Steve’s watch, the percentage of Nevada’s state budget devoted to law enforcement is number one in the country. Additionally, funding for State Police is up 11% since Steve took office, and he helped secure nearly $12 million to invest in officer recruitment, prevent youth crime, and more.

In a second term, Steve will go a step further by proposing a salary increase for State Police officers – their first significant pay raise since 2006.

Steve knows that safe streets encourage new families and businesses to put down roots in Nevada, and he will continue taking steps to improve the criminal justice system, protect Nevadans, and improve public safety.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Buying a home is part of the American Dream, but as our communities grow and more people and businesses begin to call Nevada home, that dream is getting harder and harder to realize. That’s why increasing housing affordability and lowering costs for families is one of Steve’s top priorities.

Steve is already delivering results for Nevada families: in 2021 alone, Nevada built over 2,300 new affordable apartments, and now Steve is making the largest investment in affordable housing in Nevada’s history through the Home Means Nevada program.

By investing $500 million in our communities, the Home Means Nevada program will help middle income Nevadans purchase a home, create up to 1,700 new affordable units across the state, preserve 4,000 affordable units, and help thousands of seniors with accessibility to lower costs and help them remain in their homes.

Steve was also the first governor to fully fund Nevada’s State Infrastructure Bank to invest in Nevada’s roads and bridges. Through these investments, the State Infrastructure Bank and AFL-CIO are investing another $20 million to build new affordable housing options.

These investments don’t just mean more housing – they’ll create thousands of good, high-paying union jobs to support our families and grow our economy.

In Steve’s eyes, housing is a human right. No family should have to worry about where they lay their head at night or being priced out of their community, and under Steve’s leadership, they won’t.

EDUCATION

From donating his entire salary to public schools across Nevada, giving teachers their first raise in over a decade, to funding our schools at their highest levels in state history, Steve is delivering on his promise to be the Education Governor.

Steve believes that every child deserves an equal chance to succeed, no matter where they live or how much their parents make. That’s why he updated a 50-year old education funding formula, created the largest public education budget in Nevada’s history, and provided more transparency on per-pupil funding across the Silver State.

Steve also was the first governor in the country to invest directly in classrooms by helping educators purchase classroom supplies. Steve is committed to retaining and recruiting the best teachers for our students, and under his administration, over 2,000 new teachers have been hired in Nevada.

Despite the challenges over the last two years, Nevada students are back where they belong – safely in the classroom. But Steve knows that’s not enough, which is why he’s allocated $200 million to address learning loss caused by the pandemic, strengthened mental health resources for our students, and is investing millions to improve school safety and violence reduction initiatives.

Governor Sisolak also appointed Lisa Cano Burkhead, a previous educator and principal, as Nevada’s 36th Lieutenant Governor to provide educators with a voice at the table in Carson City.

Steve has put our students first every day since he took office, and will continue to do so in a second term. Our schools have come a long way since 2018, but there’s more work to do to ensure every Nevada student receives the best education possible.

REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

With Roe v. Wade now overturned by the Supreme Court, Governors are now the last line of defense when it comes to protecting abortion. As trigger laws take effect in surrounding states, Steve vowed to continue protecting access to abortion and critical contraception in Nevada.

Steve raised two daughters on his own, and knows firsthand that there are certain things young women don’t want to discuss with their dad. So when it came time for those conversations, Steve leaned on Planned Parenthood and other family planning services to make sure his daughters had the education and tools they needed to stay informed and get the care they need.

That’s why when it comes to reproductive health, Steve has been a strong supporter of reproductive freedom – because no politician should determine when, or how, any Nevadan starts their family.

While states around the country are attacking reproductive rights, Steve followed through on his promise to expand access to reproductive freedom, eliminate barriers to care, and invest in comprehensive family planning services to support Nevadans.

During his first term, Steve signed legislation decriminalizing abortion and removing outdated practices that made it harder for Nevadans to receive the care they needed. He’s also signed legislation allowing women to receive birth control directly through their neighborhood pharmacy, and expanded access to emergency contraception for survivors of sexual assault.

When the Trump Administration announced restrictions on family planning services, Steve allocated $6 million in new spending for family planning services to support Nevadans across the Silver State.

With increasing attacks at the federal level and in the states, it has never been more important for Nevadans to have a governor who will fight for their rights. With Steve as our governor, Nevada will continue to expand and champion reproductive freedom.

HEALTH CARE

No family should have to break the bank to stay healthy – that’s why Steve’s worked to expand access to lifesaving health care services while lowering costs for families. In a second term, he will build on our progress, support our families, and continue taking steps to build a healthier Nevada and a stronger workforce and economy.

During his first term, Steve increased access to affordable health care by making protections for pre-existing conditions permanent, ending surprise billing, expanding transparency around drug pricing, creating a Patient Protection Commission, and becoming the second state in the nation to create a public health insurance option to expand affordable coverage–legislation that is estimated to lower the cost of premiums by 15% in the first four years and expand coverage to 350,000 additional Nevadans.

His administration also took on medical debt collectors trying to take advantage of Nevada families, and took steps to limit fines and ensure families have enough time to pay their bills.

This year, Steve took another step to expand access to affordable health care and announced Nevada will join the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium. By negotiating directly with drug companies, we can lower the cost of prescription drugs for all Nevada families by up to 80%.

Additionally, while states around the country are attacking reproductive rights, Steve expanded access to reproductive freedoms across the Silver State by eliminating barriers and investing in comprehensive family planning services to support Nevadans. Steve knows that affordable health care includes mental health, which is why he expanded mental health funding for schools and communities across the Silver State in his first term to ensure Nevadans are supported during their times of need.

Reliable access to affordable health care isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity for our communities, workforce, and economy. Under Steve’s leadership, Nevada will continue to be a leader on lowering costs for families and expanding quality, affordable care.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Since taking office, Steve has taken a bold approach to fight climate change and create clean jobs in Nevada. Protecting our environment for the next generation and growing our economy go hand-in-hand and Steve is committed to doing both.

During his first term, Steve created a climate czar position in the governor’s office for the first time in state history, prioritized wildfire prevention efforts, implemented the Clean Cars Nevada initiative and closed the “classic car” loophole to reduce air and water pollution, and conserved Nevada’s iconic sagebrush habitat and Lake Tahoe region.

After Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord, Steve stood up for Nevada, joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, and raised Nevada’s renewable portfolio standards. Further, by establishing new standards to reduce energy and water waste, Steve will save Nevadans more than $29 million per year by 2035 and will remove the carbon emissions equivalent of 28,000 cars from our roads.

Steve’s leadership has delivered results: Nevada now has the number one solar economy and the highest number of solar panels per capita in the nation – establishing Nevada as the Western hub for renewable energy. Reno is also the first city in the country to measure its carbon footprint in real time, and Nevada is projected to reach 50% of electricity generated by renewable energy sources by 2030.

Steve is committed to building on our progress to deliver a clean future for every Nevadan, create new, sustainable jobs, and make Nevada the energy capital of the world.