Issues
Melissa is fighting for Nevada.
Jobs and the Economy
A strong economy starts with a thriving small business community and a lower cost of living for working families. Across Nevada, the price of groceries, gas, rent, and everyday essentials has climbed faster than paychecks, and families are feeling the squeeze. Melissa believes the answer is more good paying jobs, a competitive business climate, and an economy where hard work pays off.
As a Henderson small business owner for 16 years, Melissa has met a payroll, signed the front of a paycheck, and felt the weight of taxes, fees, and red tape firsthand. That experience shapes how she legislates. She works to keep taxes low, cut needless regulation, and remove the barriers that make it harder to start and grow a business, so local shops, contractors, tradespeople, and entrepreneurs can create the jobs our communities need.
Her focus is practical and forward looking. Melissa wants a Nevada where the cost of living is manageable, wages keep up, and the next generation can find opportunity and build a good life close to home instead of leaving the state to find it.
Housing
Housing affordability is one of the biggest challenges Nevada families face. Home prices and rents have risen sharply, and too many hard working families, young couples, and seniors on fixed incomes are getting priced out of a home of their own. The cost of housing is now a central part of the cost of living, and it deserves a serious, practical response.
Melissa believes we can make housing more affordable by expanding supply and cutting the government barriers that drive up the price of building. That means reducing the red tape, permitting delays, and excessive fees that add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home, so the private market can build the houses, condos, and rentals our growing state needs.
At the same time, Melissa will stand up for current homeowners and property rights, keep property taxes and fees in check, and make sure state and local government works with families instead of standing in their way. Her goal is a Nevada where owning or renting a home is within reach for the people who live and work here.
Public Safety
Public safety is the foundation of a strong community. When families feel safe in their neighborhoods, at school, and at work, everything else becomes possible, from raising children to running a business. Melissa is committed to keeping Nevada communities safe and supporting the men and women in law enforcement who protect us every day.
Her record backs that up. Melissa has passed real laws that protect crime victims and hold offenders accountable, including stronger protections for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking and tougher penalties for severe animal cruelty. She has worked to give victims the information and support they need while respecting due process and the rights of the accused.
Melissa believes we can back the badge and be fair at the same time. She supports well trained and fully staffed police and sheriff departments, sensible penalties for violent and repeat offenders, and real help for victims and their families. A safe Nevada protects our families, our small businesses, and the quality of life that makes our communities worth calling home.
Education
Every child in Nevada deserves a quality education and a real shot at a bright future, no matter their zip code or income. Strong schools are the foundation of a strong workforce and strong communities, and improving school quality is one of the best investments our state can make.
Melissa supports parental rights and a strong voice for parents in their children's education, along with high academic standards, safe classrooms, and real transparency about what schools are teaching and how students are doing. She believes families should have more choices and more paths to success, from great neighborhood public schools to charter schools, career and technical training, apprenticeships, and college.
She also fights to make sure tax dollars reach the classroom and the teachers who make the biggest difference, instead of getting lost in bureaucracy. Melissa helped open affordable higher education to Nevada veterans, and she will keep working so students, parents, and teachers have the support and results they deserve. A great education gives every Nevada child the tools to succeed.
Healthcare
Healthcare should be affordable, accessible, and there when Nevada families need it. Too many people worry about the cost of care, face surprise medical bills, or struggle to find a doctor close to home, especially in our fast growing communities. Melissa is focused on practical steps that lower costs and expand healthcare access without heavy handed mandates from government.
Her record shows results. Melissa has passed laws that protect independent pharmacies and small clinics, that let patients refill needed prescriptions during emergencies and disasters, and that cut needless bureaucracy for medical providers while keeping strong standards for patient safety. These are commonsense reforms that make care easier to get and easier to afford.
Melissa believes healthcare decisions belong to patients, families, and their doctors, not to bureaucrats. She will keep working to improve access to quality care, support the doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who care for us, protect the most vulnerable, and keep Nevada moving toward a healthier and more affordable future.
The Proper Role of Government
Government works best when it is limited, accountable, and focused on results. Its core job is to protect our rights and freedoms, keep our communities safe, spend tax dollars wisely, and then get out of the way so families, workers, and businesses can thrive. Melissa believes your money and your freedoms belong to you, not to the government.
That belief guides her work in Carson City. Melissa fights to keep taxes and fees low, hold the line on wasteful spending, and protect Nevada taxpayers from paying more for a government that delivers less. She works to cut red tape, streamline state agencies, and make government more transparent and responsive to the people it serves.
Melissa also stands up for the values that make Nevada special, from personal responsibility and free enterprise to the constitutional rights of every citizen. Her approach is simple. Fewer barriers, lower taxes, more common sense, and a state government that answers to the people, not the other way around.
Read the full record
Twelve bills carried and signed into Nevada law, sorted by area in plain language.
Raised penalties for severe animal cruelty, strengthened protections for police animals, and improved how abuse cases are handled.
Public SafetyStrengthened transparency and due process requirements in domestic violence protection orders.
Public SafetyBarred courts and agencies from charging fees to victims of sex trafficking who seek to seal their criminal records.
Public SafetyExtended the statute of limitations for sex trafficking offenses, giving survivors more time to seek justice.
Public SafetyRequired law enforcement agencies to give victims of domestic violence a free, complete copy of all related police reports on written request, extending a protection that already existed for survivors of sexual assault.
Public SafetyStrengthened animal welfare protections at the local level by directing city and county governments on the humane treatment of animals.
Public SafetyRequired insurers to allow early refills and extended prescription supplies during declared emergencies and disasters.
HealthcareProtected independent pharmacies and small businesses from pharmacy benefit manager practices that restricted competition and transparency.
HealthcareModernized continuing education oversight for osteopathic physicians, reducing needless bureaucracy while keeping professional standards high.
HealthcareEstablished clear licensing and regulatory standards for recovery centers, creating certainty for providers while protecting patient safety.
HealthcareRemoved the outdated five year limit on in state tuition so every honorably discharged veteran can access affordable higher education in Nevada.
EducationRemoved driver license and identification fee barriers for people reentering society, opening the door to jobs and schooling.
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