Existing law requires an employer to pay an employee a wage of not less than a certain minimum wage. (Nev. Const. Art. 15, § 16; NRS 608.250) However, existing law does not require offenders to be paid the federal or state minimum wage for their employment in a program for the employment of offenders. (NRS 209.461) Section 1 of this bill requires offenders to be paid a progressively increasing percentage of the state minimum wage over a 5-year period, such that, beginning on July 1, 2029, offenders are paid at least the state minimum wage. Existing law requires the State Forester Firewarden to: (1) establish and carry out a program for operating conservation camps in this State, which may use offenders to perform certain tasks; and (2) determine the amount of wages that must be paid to offenders who participate in such camps. (NRS 209.231, 209.457, 472.040) Section 2 of this bill provides that these wages must be equivalent to or exceed the wages set forth in section 1. Section 3 of this bill requires the Legislative Auditor to conduct an audit of the wages paid to offenders each fiscal year during the period beginning on July 1, 2025, and ending on June 30, 2029, to determine compliance with section 1.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 209.461, 472.040
BDR: 209.461, 472.040