Why Nevada can’t keep good lawmakers: The systemic failures driving resignations”
The recent announcements that Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager and Majority Leader Sandra Jauregui, both Las Vegas Democrats, will not seek re-election represent more than just routine political turnover—they signal a deepening crisis in Nevada’s legislative system that threatens the quality of governance affecting every Las Vegas resident.
Experience walking out the door
When Yeager and Jauregui leave, they take with them nearly a decade of legislative experience each, having both been elected in 2016. Their departure, along with Ways and Means Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno’s mayoral run in North Las Vegas, means the Assembly is losing its three most powerful Democrats in one sweep.
The numbers paint a stark picture: over 60 percent of lawmakers who served in 2019 have already left Carson City. By the time the 2027 session begins, that exodus could reach 75 percent. This isn’t normal attrition—it’s a hemorrhaging of institutional knowledge that leaves Nevada’s part-time legislature increasingly unable to function as a co-equal branch of government.
A bipartisan problem
While the current departures hit Democrats hardest, with Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro also potentially leaving to run for attorney general, Republicans have suffered their own losses of quality legislators. Respected figures like Jill Tolles, Ben Kieckhefer, Heidi Seevers Gansert, and Tom Roberts have all departed in recent years, taking with them the kind of bipartisan relationships that make effective governance possible.
Who benefits from amateur hour?
The primary beneficiaries of this inexperience aren’t Nevada’s citizens—they’re veteran lobbyists and the special interests they represent. When lawmakers lack the experience to navigate complex legislation, they become increasingly dependent on those paid to influence them.
Governors also gain disproportionate power when facing an inexperienced legislature. In a state where lawmakers meet only four months every two years and must react to the governor’s budget rather than crafting their own, the executive branch already borders on omnipotent. A legislature full of rookies only amplifies this imbalance.
The root causes of the exodus
Nevada’s legislative compensation remains laughably inadequate—an anachronistic remnant from the state constitution that pays a pittance for the first 60 days of the 120-day session. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Nevada ranks near the bottom nationally in legislative pay.
For Southern Nevada lawmakers, the burden is particularly acute. They must leave families and jobs behind for months, often at significant personal and financial cost. While wealthy individuals might absorb these losses, working and middle-class citizens who could bring valuable perspectives are effectively priced out of public service.
A broken system breeds bad outcomes
The current system asks part-time legislators to evaluate hundreds of complex bills in an impossibly compressed timeframe, with insufficient staff support. Too often, their only resources are lobbyists offering counsel colored by the interests they’re paid to advance.
This creates a vicious cycle: underpaid, overworked legislators make hasty decisions that reinforce public cynicism about government, which in turn makes it harder to attract quality candidates willing to endure the hardships of service.
The corruption of necessity
While outright corruption remains rare in Carson City, the financial pressures on lawmakers create subtler problems. Legislators arriving with inflated egos and diminished bank accounts may find themselves making incremental compromises, slowly eroding principles in exchange for political or financial survival.
Solutions require political will
The fixes are straightforward but require political courage to implement:
- Pay legislators adequately – Current compensation is an insult to the importance of their work
- Meet annually – Complex modern governance can’t be accomplished in four months every two years
- Provide professional staff – Lawmakers need independent resources beyond lobbyist-provided information
The miracle and the warning
It’s actually remarkable that Nevada has produced some excellent legislators despite these handicaps. Both parties have promising newcomers who could become future leaders—if they stick around long enough to develop expertise.
But that’s the key question: Will these new lawmakers still be serving a few sessions from now, or will they join the exodus, leaving Nevada’s legislature even more hollowed out?
Why Las Vegas should care
For Las Vegas residents, a weakened legislature means less effective representation on issues that matter: education funding, infrastructure investments, gaming regulation, and economic diversification. When experience evaporates from Carson City, Southern Nevada’s interests suffer.
The departure of leaders like Yeager and Jauregui isn’t just inside baseball for political junkies—it’s a warning sign that Nevada’s system of governance is fundamentally broken. Until we acknowledge that reality and make the necessary reforms, the brain drain will continue, and all Nevadans will pay the price.
Image Sources: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/opinion-nevadas-broken-legislature-is-losing-leaders
Category: State News, Politics
Subcategory: State Legislature
Date: 08/12/2025
