UPDATE: March 3, 1:03 PM:

Senator Neal immediately contacted The Globe expressing she was unaware that the donation link was still active. According to Senator Neal, a staffer was to have disabled the link but did not do so when the black out period started on January 15th. The link has now been disabled and the Senator further claimed that she has never violated campaign finance law.

The Globe appreciates the Senator’s phone call, clarification, and immediate action to comply with Nevada statutes. 

Democratic Senator Dina Neal (SD-4) is in violation of Nevada law which prohibits a legislator from accepting monetary contributions 30 days prior to and after a legislative session. Legislators normally take down these campaign fundraising buttons so people don’t accidentally donate. However, Sen. Neal’s website has an active donation link that leads to a PayPal account for her campaign.

The screenshots taken below show the active links on her website:

As the legislative session began on February 6, 2023, Sen. Neal was legally required to remove the donation link on or around January 6th, 2023. Therefore, for nearly two months, Sen. Neal has been in violation of NRS 294A.300, 294.310.

The language of the statutes are clear: “It is unlawful for a member of the legislature, the lieutenant governor or the governor to solicit or accept any monetary contributions for any political purpose during the period beginning 30 days before a regular session of the legislature and ending 30 days after the final adjournment of a regular session.”

Senator Neal has been serving her district since 2011 and currently chairs the Committee of Revenue and Economic Development. She also serves on the Education Committee and the Finance Committee.

We have reached out to Sen. Neal to remind her of this violation and to seek comment. We will update the story if and when she responds.