Democratic Assemblyman Steve Yeager ‘Proud’ of Criminal Justice Reform Bill, GOP Opponent Responds

During a recent podcast, Democratic Speaker of the Assembly Steve Yeager (AD-9) said he was proud of the 2019 “landmark” criminal justice reform bill AB 236 that the Democratic majority passed, Attorney General Aaron Ford supported, and former Governor Steve Sisolak signed into law. Criminal justice reform, Yeager said, was one of the reasons he decided to run for office while serving as a public defender.

AB 236 was designed with the intention to reduce the prison population through various changes to the penal code in relation to sentencing, bail, probation, drug offenses and felony categories and convictions. In part, AB 236 decreased the penalties on drug trafficking and increased the amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl possession.

The Globe reported on the unfortunate consequences of Yeager’s intentions:

Since the Democratic majority, led by Steve Yeager, passed Assembly Bill 236 in 2019, the Silver State has seen a 15 percent increase in property crimes and a staggering 39 percent increase in drug-store thefts on the Las Vegas Strip. At the time, Attorney General Aaron Ford was “intimately involved” and enthusiastically backed the bill that overhauled Nevada’s criminal justice system.

The bill raised the threshold for felony theft from $600 worth of stolen goods to $1,200. A criminal who steals up to $1,200 worth of goods will be charged with misdemeanor larceny instead of a category D felony.

At the time of consideration, Yeager told Nevada Newsmakers, “We have a very low threshold of theft here. It is $600 for a felony. Your average iPhone is going to be $1,200. So if you take an iPhone, you are looking at having a felony.”

“So we looked at adjusting those levels,” he said. “Initially the bill had proposed $2,000 for a felony, which put us in line with most other states. But that was a concern for some of the businesses. So we did what we do in the legislative building. We sat down, we talked about it and we have come to a place where I think everybody can agree is appropriate and that is $1,200 (threshold for felony theft).”

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks publicly stated that AB 236 “rubber-stamped” drug use. During a presentation given early this year, Hicks warned that “Nevada is on its way to becoming California” and directly tied the legislation to data that demonstrated a significant spike in crime across the second-largest county in Nevada.

Hicks further noted that Debora Redden, a habitual felon who went viral for leaping over a Las Vegas judge’s bench and attempted to murder her, had multiple violent felonies on his record at the time of the attack, but did not meet the seven-felony threshold mandated by the “landmark” legislation. Hicks warned that Redden was “symbolic” of the dire consequences of AB 236 and a “product of the bail reform movement.”

In an email from her campaign, GOP challenger Erica Neely demanded Yeager step down and step aside: “Our community is feeling the impact of these decisions every day, yet my opponent has not addressed these critical issues or provided a clear vision for reversing these dangerous trends,” said Neely. “It’s not enough to seek office; you need to stand for something. I’m running to restore safety, accountability, and a sense of security for our families. So I ask my opponent: Why are you running? Why are you proud of this disaster? Why do you think Nevada wants this? It’s time to step down and step aside.”