Janice Noble

Please share briefly what inspired you to run for this office and why you feel you’re qualified for the position.

I have been working with the Douglas County Democratic Women for 7 years and most recently their President for the last four years. I am inspired by the direction of our country and do not want to sit back and watch and regret not standing up for my values and the needs of my fellow citizens. As the only Democrat running in my District it is important to represent the interests of all constituents and support the quality of life we hold dear.

Would you support allocating more state funds to help DACA recipients to help with higher education?

Absolutely! These amazing recipients have been in our country for many years and deserve a chance to make their lives better for themselves and their families. Many do not speak the language of their native country and do not remember their country. As a former administrator and educator in higher education, I saw first hand the amazing accomplishments of these students and will continue to support this program and these students.

How will the state fight the growing issue of homelessness that is increasing in our communities and use funds to expand on shelters for these community members?

Homelessness has many issues that underpin its existence. Many homeless are victims of mental illness. More available support for the mentally ill needs to be available. There is a severe shortage of mental health workers in our state. Not only encouraging programs to educate more mental health professionals and make available day care placements and residential treatment centers. Still others have been priced out of the housing market due to increased rents. Nevada, and especially Douglas and Lyon counties have seen a great deal of growth with housing being nearly unaffordable for young first time home buyers. There has been very little affordable housing available. While the job market is improving there are still many that lost their jobs during the Pandemic. In addition, wages have not kept up with inflation and many people have spent their savings and are not making a living wage. these people may live in their car while having one or two jobs but still cannot afford a place to live. All these issues lead to homelessness and a ned for more funding to be allocated from our state budge to provide shelters and explore ways to provide low income housing.

Nevada has historically protected the right to abortion, including protecting the right in statute 30 years ago by a vote of the people. However, there remain barriers to access in the state. Do you support not only the right to abortion but policies that improve equitable access to abortion care?

Yes, I support a woman's right to make choices about her health and future. I will work hard to make our state law remain codified. I support policies that provide accurate quality education as women they make their decisions. Additionally, facilities need to be available to provide quality care. With the growing threats against this type of care, some healthcare workers may choose to leave this arena. Providing support and protection will be imperative.

The state of Nevada is facing an unprecedented shortage of health care providers – a problem that impacts every area of medicine, including the provision of sexual and reproductive care. Do you support removing the physician-only requirement and allowing advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to provide this vital care to patients with training and certification?

Yes, I support allowing qualified advance practice clinicians to provide this level of care. These clinicians have had ample education to provide care with the support and availability of physicians to answer questions and support APCs.

It is well documented that patients of color face greater obstacles to obtaining sexual and reproductive health care than non-Hispanic white Americans – a pattern that results in worse health outcomes overall for BIPOC patients. Do you not only acknowledge systemic racism’s role in public health disparities but will you pursue policies that seek to rectify the historical harm of systemic racism and advance equitable access to health care?

I acknowledge that there is systematic racism in our healthcare system. I will work hard to create and/or support policies to eliminate barriers and remove obstacles to women in need of reproductive health.

Knowing that the death penalty is exorbitantly expensive, racially discriminatory, and does not promote true healing for victims family members, do you support its abolition and do you think ending the death penalty is a crucial part of criminal justice reform?

Yes, the death penalty must be eliminated. Its removal will go a long way to implementing justice reform.

True Colors United, a national organization that implements innovative solutions to youth homelessness that focus on the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ young people continues to rate Nevada as critically low, for its State Index on Youth Homelessness (in collaboration with the National Homelessness Law Center) that ranks and scores laws and policies related to preventing and addressing youth homelessness in the United States. Are you willing to support legislation that helps to fund and provide oversight regulations to youth homelessness services?

Yes I will support funding and regulation oversight to provide services for our homeless youth particularly LGBTQ+ youth as they are often marginalized and the last to receive much needed services.

Anti-transgender bills are being introduced across the United States that attempt to prevent trans people from having access to health care, gender reassignment surgery, and access to sports in schools. Do you support transgender equality and access to healthcare and an athletic school experience?

I definitely support transgender equality, particularly the ability to find supportive healthcare workers who will provide accurate healthcare information and support the desires of the client to make informed decisions. Student athletes need to be able to participate in school activities and make choices about what is right for them.

We have seen rental rates increasing at a very alarming rate, in some instances upwards of 30%. How do you see the Nevada Legislature taking action to keep Nevadans in their homes and not being priced out?

This issue has become more of a problem since the Pandemic. While not popular, there needs to be discussion about a cap on rental increases that occur. Exploration of an annual cap of a percent increase should be considered. As a former landlord I understand the issues related to them with repairs and regular maintenance costs increasing. It is unreasonable to expect a tenant to be able to pay and increase of 20 - 30% in one year. Many find they are paying more than 50% of their total income in housing. That is just not realistic especially with other costs increasing due to inflation.

Nevada has one of the largest shares of federal public land of any state in the country, providing important wildlife habitat, places to hunt, camp, fish and hike, and acting as the foundation of a billion dollar outdoor industry. Even so, some lawmakers have promoted policies that seek wholesale transfer of federal ownership of our national lands to states. A) Would you support or oppose these land transfer policies? B) Would should the State of Nevada’s role be in the management and ownership of federal land?

I do not believe that land transfer policies are a good idea. If these lands are transferred to the states, the concern is that the state will not be able to pay for the maintenance costs. It would be simply a decision to sell the lands to a developer and the developer will "pave paradise and put up a parking lot" or build costly housing. Not only do we lose aour precious resource, we must also find water for the new housing and infrastructure must be available. Transferring public lands is not a viable solution.

State investments in conservation provide resources for a wide range of public benefit, like the management of wildlife and state land, and the creation and maintenance of trails and other recreational facilities. In 2019, the Legislature approved $217 million of bonding authority for conservation purposes, including for the acquisition of land for new state parks. A) Do you support or oppose state investment in conservation? B) Has Nevada’s investment in land conservation been too little, too much, or about right, and how would you change it?

I support Nevada's investment in conservation and acquisition of land for parks. I believe more can be done to maintain and improve our ability to provide safe and accessible recreation areas for our citizens. Nevada is an amazing state with wonderful resources that need to be accessible to all citizens. In terms of changing the current situation, I would support more funding to improve and maintain these wonderful resources.

Would you support addressing public health disparities in Nevada’s diverse Spanish speaking population by funding a “Promotores de Salud” program through the Nevada Office of New Americans that provides year round, culturally competent education and community engagement in Spanish on public health issues?

Yes I would support through funding and promotion of this program in order to encourage culturally appropriate education and accurate information made available in Spanish.

What are you doing to center communities of color and low-income communities in your work, and how do you ensure that equity is part of every decision you make?

In my campaign, I have visited many areas of District 39 and engaged in conversations with all members of the community. The most important aspect of my campaign is listening to issues of concern for my constituents. I have heard many stories about the inequity and inequality many of our community members feel. Listening with an open mind and really hearing what citizens are feeling beyond what is being said is critical to understanding and then making the best most informed decisions.

The APIA community faces the largest unmet financial needs when it comes to higher education. Nevada has the highest student loan default rate in the country. In Nevada, there are 333,100 student loan borrowers, $11.5 Billion in student loan debt, and $34,700 in average debt per borrower. What policies can we implement to ensure students and families are protected from predatory lenders and undue financial burdens?

As a student that graduated with over $100,000 in student loan debt, I am truly empathetic to the burden students feel when graduation should be the beginning of an amazing life journey. President Biden has aided in debt-forgiveness, but more needs to be done in the way of scholarships and other funding to help students receive their education without such burden. Tuition needs to be reviewed by the educational institution. Books are very expensive. Tax breaks for parents as an incentive to help save for their child's education need to be considered.

Latinx communities are extremely concerned about the drought and ongoing water shortages. What would you do to ensure our families have a sustainable water supply, not just now but also future generations?

There are several things that need to be done to ensure we have sustainable water supply. We need to be sure that water rights are not "paper water" but actual water that is available. We need to take careful inventory of both surface and ground water availability. We need to allow our water districts to audit and evaluate the allocation of water and ensure that it is not allocated at 100 - 300 % above what water is actually available. These steps will go a long way to ensuring that all communities have access for the long term to clean safe water.

One out of seven people in Clark County are food insecure. What policies would you propose to ensure people are not residing in food deserts and have access to healthy food and water sources?

As I stated above there are several things that need to be done to ensure sustainable water resources. Food insecurity is a major problem for many families in Nevada. I would support opening more accessible food banks and create food resources for school children who often only receive good food during the school year week days. Promoting small businesses that would offer healthy food at a reasonable price is also a solution to food insecurity.