Marilyn Dondero Loop

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

I am running for my 2nd term as Senator, District 8. I feel as though the state needs strong leadership in the current environment. I bring experience to the legislature by not only being a current and former member of both houses but additionally being a native Nevadan who understands what is needed to make our state healthy again.

Given the success of the marijuana industry, should Nevada create a better licensing framework for consumption lounges which would allow tourists an opportunity to legally consume marijuana products?

Yes

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

As a retired educator, I am supportive of everyone having access to education. Additionally, we need to be doing more to ensure that all Nevadans have the opportunity to pursue their dreams without taking on a mountain of debt.

As Las Vegas lives in the wake of the worst mass shooting in modern history, what do you think it will take to end the gun violence epidemic and violence in our communities?

In the wake of the 1 October violence, the Nevada Legislature has taken action to keep our children and communities safe. I am proud of my record of curbing gun violence and voting to pass legislation ensuring comprehensive background checks on all gun purchases and banning bumpstockj as well as untraceable ghost guns. I know there is more work to be done. I support common sense reforms like closing the Charleston loophole, banning stalkers from owning weapons and blocking violent offenders from getting their hands on guns.

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?

Like many Nevadans, I believe that women have the right to make medical decisions that are best for them in consultation with their provider. I am proud to stand up for the reproductive health care of women across our state.

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?

With the growing need of health care providers across our state, I think it makes sense to expand the scope of advanced practice clinicians to allow them to provide care that has traditionally been limited to physicians-only, so long as it is medically safe.

Comprehensive, age and developmentally appropriate, medically-accurate, inclusive sex education has been proven to improve students’ long-term health outcomes, yet it is not required that students be provided with this information in their sex-ed programs. Do you believe that public school sex-ed programs should be comprehensive, medically accurate, and inclusive?

Yes

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?

The data behind disparities in health outcomes based on race in undeniable. This is why I've voted to prevent health insurance companies from denying Nevadans coverage for pre-existing conditions, made pharmaceutical labels be available in a patient's preferred language, and fought to lower the cost of prescriptions drugs. I will always continue to listen and advocate for our partners.

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?

I believe that the death penalty should be reserved for only the most henious crimes. As with the revision or abolition of any law, strenuous debate and conversation from all sides of the issue must occur. As always, my door is open to everyone in the legislative building, regardless of where my policy positions lie.

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

Anti-transgender bills are being introduced across the United States that attempt to trans prevent 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?

As a 30-year educator, I know that all of our children should be free to be who they are. As a legislator, I will continue to protect our children, be it from gun violence or politicians that seek to discriminate and divide.

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?

The lack of affordable housing in Nevada is one of the messages I hear most from my constituents. That's why I was proud to approve $250M for the Home Means Nevada initiative. This money goes directly into the community to increase the stock of affordable homes. Going forward, it will continue to take significant investment from both the state and community to make and keep housing affordable, but it is an investment worth making.

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?

Conservation policies will continue to keep Nevada beautiful and sustainable for generations to come. I am endorsed by the Nevada Conservation League and will continue to support conservation investments in our state.

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?

With the amount of public lands across our state, continuing to balance ownership between state and federal governments is critical. I would not support a wholesale transfer of these lands.

What legislative action would you take to address the ongoing COVID crisis in communities of color due to mistrust, targeted disinformation, and lack of culturally competent messaging that includes language accessibility?

In the past legislative session, we passed legislation to ensure information regarding COVID-19, vaccinations, and resources be distributed in languages that are accessible to communities. It is priority legislation like this that I believe will help increase public trust.

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

How do you envision working within your state to pass care legislation (i.e. child care, elder care, paid leave, paid sick leave, and disability care) that will ensure that women of color and working families can easily access the care they need?

Empowering women of color to have the care resources they need not only allows them to lead fulfilling lives, but it makes Nevada a state where everyone can participate. I plan to continue to have my door open to engage in meaningful conversations on legislation we can enact to provide more care resources.

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?

Being a good ally to communities of color and low income communities means having conversations and finding ways to put those conversations into action. I partnered with Legal Aid to sponsor SB248, which took on bad actors in medical debt collections.

Communities of color are most impacted by air pollution; what would you do to ensure that our communities can breathe cleaner air?

Air pollution is a threat to all Nevadans. Communities of color experience these threats at a higher rate. I will continue to stress the importance of investing in forms of transportation that use renewable energy and helping to find cleaner ways to conduct business as we push for net-zero emissions by 2050.

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?

Protecting our water supply for generations to come is critical to our equity as well as survival in Southern Nevada. We must continue to enact policies that prioritize water conservation and sustainablity, like removing non-functional turf and increasing water efficiency in appliances.

Will you practice a just transition approach to Nevada’s clean energy & sustainability plans while holding accountable those who must consult and collaborate with Nevada’s Tribal Nations on decisions which may negatively impact their indigenous lifeways?

Yes

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?

Tackling the growing crisis of student loan debt is both an economic and moral imperative. From buying a house to starting a family, student loan debt is blocking Nevadans from pursuing their dreams. I am proud to have voted to create the Student Loan Bill of Rights, increase funding for the Millennium Scholarship and expanding the Silver State Opportunity Grant. I am hoping our federal leaders will also act to combat this growing crisis.

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?

Combatting food insecurity and eliminating food deserts is critical to our pathway to a more equitable Nevada. Working with community groups, local governments, and developers to ensure that we are prioritizing those Nevadans who are food insecure is one way we will be able to increase the number of those who have access to healthy food and clean water. I hope to continue to work with community groups so we can continue to tackle this issue.