Governor Issues Executive Order Requiring The Collection Of Sexual Harassment And Discrimination Policies

Volume 18 | Issue 1
January 14, 2019

Governor Sisolak has issued an Executive Order requiring certain agencies to collect the harassment and discrimination policies and procedures of marijuana and gaming license, permit, or certificate holders and all current State vendors. These documents will become public records and will be reviewed by the collecting agency which will then provide a report to the Office of the Governor and to the Attorney General as Chair of the Governor’s new Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Law and Policy. The Governor’s Order is immediately effective as of January 9, 2019 and remains in effect until such a report is made, but not later than May 1, 2019.

The Nevada Department of Taxation will collect the policies of marijuana employers, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board will collect the policies of gaming employers. The Purchasing Division, Nevada Department of Administration will collect policies from current State vendors. Moreover, all prospective State registered vendors and any awardee of a State contract will be required to submit their policies and procedures for review to the Administrator of the Purchasing Division.

Employers will want to carefully review the request from the collecting agency to ensure that what is produced can become a public document. You should endeavor to redact any names in your policies, such as the names of the executive or supervisor to whom employees may report harassment. The Executive Order states that the collecting agencies are to work with the employers to “vigorously protect the confidentiality of any identifiable individual, through appropriate redactions, and especially the identities of alleged victims.”

If you have questions about this Executive Order or an agency’s request for your policies and procedures, please contact a KZA attorney.

KZA Employer Report articles are for general information only; they are not intended and should not be construed to be legal advice. Reading or replying to such articles does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In addition, because the subject matters and applicable laws discussed in Employer Report articles are often in a state of change and not always applicable to every type of business entity or organization, readers should consult with counsel before making decisions based on the same.