Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez Testifies in Support of SB10 as Amended by Treasurer Zach Conine, Stresses Importance of Expanding Affordable Housing in Nevada

February 22, 2023 CARSON CITY —  This afternoon, Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez testified before the Senate Committee on Infrastructure and Growth in support of Treasurer Zach Conine’s amendment to Senate Bill 10, which would move the State Infrastructure Bank fully into the treasurer’s office and ensure that millions in additional funding is allocated toward rural school and affordable housing construction projects.

“Every Nevadan should have the right to stable housing, and this amendment will not only guarantee the allocation of more funding toward housing projects, but also ensure that these projects create good-paying construction jobs, ” said Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez. “I am grateful to Treasurer Conine for recognizing this critical need in our communities, and I trust that under his direction the State Infrastructure Bank will work more efficiently than ever before.”

You can read Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez’s full testimony, as prepared, below:

Thank you, Chairwoman Harris, for the opportunity to speak this afternoon.

My name is Susie Martinez, and I’m the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Nevada State AFL-CIO.

I rise today in support of Senate Bill 10 as amended by Treasurer Zach Conine.

This amendment would greatly benefit workers across our state.

Affordable housing has always been a huge issue for us—every single Nevadan deserves to live in dignity and stability under their own roof.

Expanding the State General Fund to support housing projects will not only increase the amount of affordable housing available statewide, but also create good-paying, union jobs.

Additionally, moving the Bank solely into the Treasurer’s office will ensure that projects move more efficiently, and there is no one I trust more to guarantee that funding gets to where it needs to go than Treasurer Conine.

All in all, this amendment will benefit Nevada’s workers in the long-term and ensure future investment in our workforce and in our state.

I’d like to thank Treasurer Conine for bringing this amendment forward and I urge the committee to support Senate Bill 10 as amended. Thank you.

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