NV Legislators buying votes?

Impunity for illegal immigrants to violate the law and rewarding them with free services at your expense?

Below is an entertaining and well-written email to Assemblywoman Backus regarding Assembly Bill 328 which funds free medical services as well as free legal services to foreigners who violated the laws of the United States – immigration. In other words, certain assembly members in the legislature are using the money of their constituents to reward foreigners for violating the laws of the United States – probably to buy their future votes. However, the author forgets one point which is in our view the cherry on the proverbial cake. We’re inserting that in between square brackets [comment] below. For next steps, what you can do, please scroll down to the NEXT STEPS section.

The email:

——– Forwarded Message ——–

Dear Assemblywoman Backus,

Thank you for your email that purports to be in response to my original email regarding AB328 (see bottom of this email).

While your response contains useful information it is in fact unresponsive to my concerns and appears to be evasive in its intent. This type of non-response does nothing to build any kind of trust in your ability or willingness to represent your constituents. If you agreed with my position, I’d expect you to say so and if you disagree with me I’d expect you to state the reasons therefor. Maybe you’d win me over with good arguments? Your unwillingness to do so causes me to question your motives and undermines my faith in the legislature.

Maxims of law are universally admitted principles that are recognized as being just and consonant with reason. One of those maxims is that “reason is the soul of the law.” As such if you do not have reason, if you cannot reach a logical and sound conclusion when making laws, these laws are invalid by their very nature. Your evasive response leads me to believe you do not have reason, you do not have logic on your side. Please bear with me as I demonstrate what I mean:

In this particular case, you have a duty to your constituents to look after their best interests. By offering free medical and legal services to people who violated our laws to enter our country you violate your duty of loyalty to your constituents. You do so as you are wasting your constituents resources (through the taxes they pay) to aid and abet those from other countries (not your constituents) who have provably violated our laws. How do you expect law abiding people to respect you and the laws you pass if those very laws are designed to violate laws already on the books as well as wantonly depleting the resources of the people you represent?

With that in mind, and assuming you will persist in your intent to pass laws that violate the laws of the United States, your oath of office and your duty of loyalty, I see that some are benefiting from breaking the law and I wish to know which laws I may break with impunity.

A. Please provide me with a complete list of NRS (Nevada Revised Statutes) sections and/or sections of the United States Code that I may violate with impunity.

B. In addition, I’d be most interested in which of the aforementioned sections I could violate for which you would then pass new legislation that would reward me with special privileges (as you are doing if AB328 passes).

C. Finally, if violating the sections of Federal or Nevada laws with impunity is reserved for certain classes of people, please be so kind and identify for which classes of people these immunities are reserved.

I await your detailed response with great interest and considering your position in this matter, I expect you will respond with all alacrity.

Sincerely,

<signed>

cc: email list – undisclosed recipients.

————– END OF FORWARDED EMAIL —————-

Commentary:

[Awarding special immunity from the law and providing special privileges – free services, is unequal protection under the law:

Fourteenth Amendment, Section 1:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.]

Remember, being elected to office is not a free-for-all where you can do whatever you want. As a representative of the people you are subject to a host of obligations. Apparently, Assemblywoman Backus is not aware of these obligations or is wantonly violating her obligations and we are fairly confident the rest of them have no idea either because if they know what they are doing it’s far worse.

Next Steps:

This bill was ultimately passed on June 5, 2023. It’s a small appropriation for Assemblywoman Backus’s district so some may be tempted to say it’s just a small amount. However, this is the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent. If we don’t fight against this, they will do more of it. Regardless of it’s status, please write to all those who were in favor (copy the letter above if you like) and let them know what they are up to is unacceptable (well-reasoned, polite emails are far more effective than name-calling). If you feel as we do, we are sure you too will do what it takes to make sure their time in office is be short. It’s up to us to let these people know that their violations of loyalty and duty won’t be tolerated. Make sure you copy as many people as possible on any letters you write to these so-called legislators (so-called because they are violating the very purpose of their being our representatives).

List of Legislative members who voted in favor of AB328:

The original email exchange:

From:
Sent: Sunday, April 2, 2023
To: [email protected]
Subject: Please vote NO on AB328 which provides legal assistance for illegal aliens.

Please vote NO on AB328 which provides legal assistance for illegal aliens through the Boyd School of Law Immigration Clinic at UNLV. Thanks to the Oath you have sworn to both the Constitution of Nevada and the Constitution for the United States of America to protect and defend the United States of America and the State of Nevada and this includes protecting our borders. Providing aid and comfort to people who violate our borders and our laws is an out and out violation of your oath of office. Just to be clear, you cannot vote in favor of this bill without violating your oath of office. Please take the time to consider this matter carefully, it’s not just another bill.

———————————————————————————————

On May 30, 2023, at 07:46, Backus, Shea Assemblywoman <[email protected]> wrote:

May 30, 2023

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office. I understand your concerns and want to reassure you that your voice has been heard. Your input is invaluable to me, and I take it very seriously. I am committed to ensuring that the needs of my constituents are met. You wrote to me asking how to advocate for your position on Assembly Bill 328.

The 2023 Session of the Nevada Legislature began on February 6, 2023, and is scheduled to run for 120 consecutive days. New bills are continuing to be introduced. The Legislative Counsel’s Digest on page 1 describes how the current drafted bill would change existing law.

Assemblymembers Watts, Torres, and Peters introduced Assembly Bill 328 on March 17, 2023. AB328 was referred to the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means. AB328 was heard in the Assembly Committee on April 3, 2023, and was passed out of the committee on May 26, 2023. This bill would make an appropriation to the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic at the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for the purpose of providing pro bono legal services.

If you would like to follow the progress of specific legislation for the 82nd Session, please click on the following link: Bill and Resolution Information. If you would like to contact the Nevada Legislature, please click here. If you would like to participate in an opinion poll, please select the specific bill through the Bill and Resolution Information site. Then, please select the “Submit Opinion” text at the bottom of your intended bill. Nevertheless, thank you for reaching out to my office. I appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns. Feel free to review our Nevada Legislator website and track this bill in real-time. If you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office again. In addition, NELIS (Nevada Electronic Legislative Information System) has an automated Personalized Legislative Tracking (PLT) feature that can help you follow the progress of legislation during the Session. You can track up to ten bills free of charge. You might also like to review some frequently asked questions about navigating the Legislature’s website and a description of Nevada’s legislative process.

I hope this information is helpful, and I commend you for being an interested and involved constituent.

Thank you,

Assemblywoman Shea Backus

Nevada State Assembly

District 37

401 South Carson Street

Carson City, NV 89701

(775) 684-8505

[email protected]