Debbie Smith
Debbie Smith (1956 - February 21, 2016) was a Democratic member of the Nevada State Senate, representing District 13 from 2012 to February 21, 2016. She passed away after undergoing treatment for a brain tumor.[1]
Smith served as Assistant Minority Leader in the 2015 legislative session. She previously served as Assistant Majority Floor Leader. She served in the Nevada Assembly, representing District 30 from 2005 to 2012; she previously served from 2001 to 2002. During her time in the chamber, she served as Speaker Pro Tempore.
Biography
Smith's professional experience included working as a benefits information representative for the Operating Engineers.
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Nevada committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Natural Resources |
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Nevada committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Services, Vice Chair |
| • Revenue and Economic Development |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Nevada committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Legislative Operations and Elections |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Smith served on the following committees:
| Nevada committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Elections, Procedures, Ethics, and Constitutional Amendments |
| • Health and Human Services |
| • Ways and Means |
Issues
State accountability
Smith sponsored a bill that aimed to increase transparency and accountability in state contracting. It passed both houses in the spring of 2011, and was signed on June 17, 2011.[2]
“In these times of economic and budgetary challenges, it is more critical than ever that we take every step possible to use taxpayer revenue effectively, save money, and improve state services,” Smith said. “Bringing state contracting out into the open for all to see and establishing a cooling off period for state employees are great steps forward for accomplishing those goals.”
The bill, AB240, changed the definition of “consultant” to ensure accountability for contracts by state agencies. The legislation prevented state contractors from receiving contracts in excess of what can be done in-house by state employees. AB240 also extended the cooling off period before a retired state employee could contract with the state to two years.
The bill explicitly permitted auditing of all contracts in which persons are employed by the state.[3]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2014
- See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for the Nevada State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 14, 2014. Incumbent Debbie Smith ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Thomas Koziol was unopposed in the Republican primary. Independent American candidate Diana Leung Squillante withdrew from the race before the primary. Smith defeated Koziol in the general election.[4][5][6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Debbie Smith Incumbent |
60.6% | 12,943 | |
| Republican | Thomas Koziol | 39.4% | 8,432 | |
| Total Votes | 21,375 | |||
2012
- See also: Nevada State Senate elections, 2012
Smith ran in the 2012 election for Nevada State Senate, District 13. Smith ran unopposed in the June 12 primary election and defeated Kathy Martin (R) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[8] [9][10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Debbie Smith |
64.7% | 25,975 | |
| Republican | Kathy Martin | 35.3% | 14,151 | |
| Total Votes | 40,126 | |||
Redistricting
Due to redistricting, many Nevada districts saw dramatic shifts in their boundary lines. Smith's District 30 was no exception. She stated, "About 65 percent of my district is new to me. That's seems to be about average. Some are as high as 80 percent."[12]
2010
- See also: Nevada State Assembly elections, 2010
On November 2, 2010, Smith won election to the Nevada State Assembly. She did not have any opposition in the June 8 primary and defeated Kathy Martin in the general election.
| Nevada State Assembly, District 30 General election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Debbie Smith (D)
|
6,540 | |||
| Kathy Martin (R) | 4,024 | |||
2008
- See also: Nevada State Assembly elections, 2008
On November 4, 2008, Smith won re-election to the District 30 Seat in the Nevada Assembly, defeating opponents Trent Baldwin and Ruth Gillings.[13]
Smith raised $172,489 for her campaign.[14]
| Nevada State Assembly, District 30 (2008) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Debbie Smith (D)
|
9,425 | 65.28% | ||
| Trent Baldwin | 4,137 | 28.65% | ||
| Ruth Gillings | 876 | 6.07% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Nevada scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Nevada State Legislature was not in session. It was in special session from July 8 to July 19 and from July 31 to August 5.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Nevada State Legislature was in session from February 4 through June 3.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Nevada State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Nevada State Legislature was in session from February 6 through June 5.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Nevada State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Nevada State Legislature was in session from February 2 through June 1.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Nevada State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 77th Nevada State Legislature was in session from February 4 through June 4.[15]
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the Nevada State Legislature did not hold a regular session. |
2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 76th Nevada State Legislature was in session from February 7 through June 7.[15]
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Nevada Policy Research Institute
The Nevada Policy Research Institute, a Nevada-based conservative-libertarian think tank, releases a "Legislative Report Card" evaluating members of the Nevada State Legislature on "each lawmaker's voting record on legislation impacting the degree of economic freedom and education reform." Bills determined by the Institute to be of greater significance are weighted accordingly. According to the Institute, "a legislator with a score above 50 is considered to be an ally of economic liberty."[16]
2011
Smith received a score of 32.98 percent in the 2011 report card, ranking 38th out of all 63 Nevada State Legislature members.[16]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Smith and her husband, Greg, have four children.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Debbie + Smith + Nevada + Senate"
See also
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Debbie Smith on Facebook
- Campaign contributions via OpenSecrets
Footnotes
- ↑ Las Vegas Review-Journal, "State Sen. Debbie Smith dies after battling brain tumor," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ Nevada Legislature, "AB240," accessed September 4, 2013
- ↑ "Bill To Improve Accountability In State Contracting Wins Assembly Approval," Nevada News Bureau, April 26th, 2011
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2014 filed candidates," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ Clark County, "Candidate filing," accessed April 8, 2014
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Nevada Primary Election 2014," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2014 Official Statewide General Election Results," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2012 Primary candidates," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Clark County, "2012 Primary candidates," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Washoe County, "2012 General Election candidates," accessed May 5, 2014(Archived)
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "Official Results of the 2012 Primary Election," accessed April 23, 2014
- ↑ www.rgj.com, "Redistricting means some Northern Nevada candidates might need more time and money for campaigns, be at odds with constituents," December 6, 2011
- ↑ Nevada Secretary of State, "2008 General Election Results," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2008 campaign contributions," accessed May 5, 2014
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Nevada State Legislature, "Session Information," accessed July 3, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Nevada Policy Research Institute, "The 2011 Nevada Legislative Session Review & Report Card," accessed May 5, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sheila Leslie (D) |
Nevada State Senate District 13 2013–2016 |
Succeeded by Julia Ratti (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Nevada State Assembly District 30 2005–2012 |
Succeeded by Michael Sprinkle (D) |
