Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt detailed his main priorities in the Office of the Attorney General during his first 100 days on the job. Since being sworn in on January 5, AG Laxalt has launched several major initiatives in service of Nevada.
“Working together, we have hit the ground running and focused on a back-to-basics agenda to create a safer, stronger and freer Nevada,” said Laxalt. “I am proud of the work we have done thus far, and look forward to our continued efforts towards protecting the most vulnerable in Nevada, providing needed legal assistance to our heroes in uniform and fighting back against overreach from the federal government.”
In addition to maintaining the core functions of the office, AG Laxalt has undertaken the following initiatives in his first 100 days:
- Promoted statewide public safety by organizing a law enforcement summit – Within the first 30 days in office, AG Laxalt’s first major initiative as attorney general was to host a law enforcement summit which brought together sheriffs, chiefs and district attorneys from Nevada’s 17 counties. At the summit, law enforcement collaborated on key issues affecting Nevada’s communities, including violent crime, domestic violence, illegal drugs, child abuse and human trafficking, among others. The event was widely attended by more than 100 law enforcement partners.
- Stood with our heroes in uniform – In February, AG Laxalt announced the formation of an advisory committee to assist with the creation of the Office of Military Legal Assistance (OMLA). The committee, which includes various stakeholders in the pro bono legal and military communities, has met regularly since its inception. The OMLA will be the nation’s first attorney general-led public-private partnership giving military personnel free access to needed civil legal services that they would otherwise be unable to obtain at their respective military installations. This program is set to officially launch this summer.
- Fought back against federal overreach – AG Laxalt pursued an aggressive agenda within the courts to protect the laws and rights of Nevadans. In January, he joined a majority of other states in a multistate effort to combat federal overreach by challenging the president’s unilateral effort to change federal immigration law. AG Laxalt then testified before the House Judiciary Committee addressing the lawsuit and the importance of following the rule of law. Additionally, AG Laxalt filed an amicus brief in state court supporting Elko County’s arguments against environmental groups attempting to limit what constitutes a public road under Nevada law. Finally, AG Laxalt joined a multistate letter to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms urging the agency to drop its ban on commonly used rifle ammunition.
- Redoubled consumer protection efforts – In addition to proactive actions to protect the state and Nevadans, AG Laxalt directed his Bureau of Consumer Protection to join several lawsuits. Those actions included Nevada’s participation in a multistate objection to RadioShack’s sale of customers’ personal information, and a multistate letter to oil companies regarding the sale of dangerous synthetic drugs in convenience stores. The office has also made notable criminal and consumer fraud convictions, including: eight sentencings related to fraud, ten sentencings for Medicaid and healthcare fraud, eight scam-related investigations and multiple warnings regarding pervasive consumer scams. Most recently, AG Laxalt appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America to warn consumers about smartphone resale scams.
Other noteworthy matters handled by AG Laxalt include: protecting Nevada’s open government by investigating open meeting law complaints, appealing a judicial order for the retrial of an inmate responsible for the murder of an FBI agent, assisting Elko County by reviewing a Nevada Supreme Court criminal decision of an alleged illegal detention and allocating the resources to draft and file legal briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, and working with the Nevada legislature to ensure the passage of the Office of the Attorney General’s budget and appropriate law enforcement bills.
AG Laxalt and his office remain committed to serving Nevadans and protecting their rights.
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