Winning a Win-Win

In a city constantly reinventing itself, the stakes were never higher for community leaders, an unlikely mix of hotel executives, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and thousands of local football fans. The future of two major construction projects was on the line, which would forever change Las Vegas’ skyline for the better. But this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to move Southern Nevada to the next level faced heavy opposition. So they turned to R&R Partners for help.

Branded the Win-Win Nevada Coalition by R&R’s team, we would head up one of the toughest challenges in recent Nevada history in convincing 63 state legislators of the need to support a change in legislation that would benefit our city: passing new room taxes to help fund the renovation and expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center to keep our convention business competitive, and to help fund a new professional 65,000-seat, domed sport stadium.

The first challenge for the coalition was to secure support from two-thirds of 63 legislators to enable the governor to call a special session. The next hurdle would be securing passage of two intertwined bills that would change how room tax revenues would fund the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion, and help in the construction of a new NFL-ready stadium to lure a professional football team to relocate to Las Vegas. This was no either/or proposition – we all got what we wanted, or we all went down in flames.

We started with only 22 votes out of the 63 legislators. We needed 42.

So how did we do it?

With the collaboration of every single discipline at R&R, we launched a targeted campaign that flipped the negative sentiment on its head. Our message was powerful: a vote for the stadium was a vote for 40,000 construction jobs, an injection of $1.5 billion into the local economy, and an additional $32 million in education dollars annually. And a vote for expanding and remodeling our convention center was a vote for keeping our lead as the No. 1 convention destination in the business.

In three very short weeks, we created a tagline, a logo to match, a website, out-of-home media, collateral and a social media campaign. We arranged for speeches, testimonials, a video … the list goes on. And it turned the tide. We created enough momentum for the governor to call a special session. We secured the votes needed, and we won. We even capped it off with a press conference to detail the negotiated workforce benefits for minority communities in Las Vegas, and a bill-signing ceremony with the governor. Our social, online and earned media numbers were off the charts, too – $69 million in PR value and 4.7 million online impressions, to name just a couple.

The bottom line: Our campaign wasn’t just about impressive metrics on a page. It was about winning triumphantly or losing completely. And with one of the most integrated, wide-ranging, kick-ass teams ever assembled at R&R, we declared victory.

 

Las Vegas, a very appropriate place for western governors to discuss the drought

As an experienced advocate for Western issues such as energy, natural resources, public land use and water, R&R Partners was honored to attend the annual winter meeting of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 4 and 5. Founded in 1984, WGA represents the governors of 19 Western states and guides them in developing and implementing policy decisions of major importance for the West.

Why are there specific associations that are dedicated to Western issues? With its abundance of natural resources, and the fact that over 90 percent of all federal land is located in the West, the region is one of the most highly regulated in the United States. This makes the West vastly different from the East, especially when it comes to controversial issues such as water and public land use. Nothing sums up water issues in the West better than the famous Mark Twain quote, “Whiskey is for drinking, but water is worth fighting over.”

WGA 3This year’s annual WGA meeting was attended by dozens of elected officials and political influencers, led by governors Matt Mead (Wyoming), Butch Otter (Idaho), Steve Bullock (Montana) and Brian Sandoval (Nevada). Important issues discussed that have serious implications on the West included drought, wildfires, endangered species, transportation and cybersecurity. The keynote address was delivered by the Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, who spoke of the importance in collaborating with the governors of Western states on key federal actions impacting the West.

R&R Partners’ depth of experience in the West gives it an understanding of the unique pressures and public scrutiny that governments and companies operating in the area face, and their need to communicate clearly and strategically to their constituents, customers, shareholders and regulators. Having opened its doors in the West and the fact that eight of its nine offices are still located in the area, R&R will continue participating in the ongoing conversation about Western policies and help bring together important stakeholders.

WGA 5

Recapping the 2015 Nevada Legislative Session

As is the case every two years, R&R’s Nevada GPA team was deployed to Carson City for the Nevada Legislative Session.

And while this in now way comparable to the troops to who protect our freedoms daily, whose service we can never repay – we can in some ways relate to what it’s like to spend several months away from home, on a mission to protect our clients and what we believe in. And we did go through quite a few battles in the process.

The 78th Regular Session of the Nevada Legislature began February 2, 2015 and concluded in the early morning hours of June 2. Throughout the session, the Assembly introduced 498 bills and the Senate introduced 515 bills, for a total of 1,013 for the Legislature to consider.

The 2014 general election had a strong impact on the 2015 session. While the “red wave” caused an unprecedented number of Republicans across the country to be elected, Nevada experienced some of the highest turnover in the nation. For the first time since 1929, Nevada has a Republican Governor and Republican control of both Houses.

The makeup of the Legislature became very important since the main priority of the Governor, most of Legislative leadership, and much of the business community was to raise additional revenue to ensure that education and essential services were properly funded. With a two-thirds supermajority required to pass any revenue or tax proposal, the Senate needed 14 votes of its 21 members, and the Assembly needed 28 votes from its total of 42 members.

During the State of the State speech, the Governor presented his vision for a “New Nevada,” declaring education to be a top priority, outlining reforms and calling for a significant tax increase to fund those reforms. Consequently, the session primarily focused on various K-12 education reforms, including: expanding school choice; improving under-performing schools; increasing English Language Learner (ELL) programs; creating a “read by three” program; enhancing teacher incentives and professional development; reducing class sizes; and expanding breakfast in the classroom, among others. The 2015 Legislative Session was historic due to passage of a nearly $7.4 billion budget with between $1.3 and $1.4 billion in additional revenue with a focus on investing in education.

The Nevada Revenue Plan, the Governor’s compromise tax plan, blended elements of the many different proposals considered during the session. The new plan sets the Business License Fee at $500 for corporations and $200 for all other businesses, increases the Modified Business Tax to 1.475 percent of the total wages paid by businesses that exceed $50,000 quarterly, and increases the payroll tax on mining companies to 2 percent. It also enacts Nevada’s Commerce Tax, applicable to businesses whose Nevada revenue exceeds $4 million annually, but allows a 50 percent deduction of the Commerce Tax for businesses which also pay the MBT.

One of the major issues of the session was whether or not transportation network companies (“TNCs”) such as Uber and Lyft could legally operate in Nevada. Met with strong opposition from the heavily-represented cab companies, the Uber lobbyists were ultimately successful in legalizing TNCs, with widespread support from Nevada residents and bipartisan support from Legislators.

The GPA team hit the ground running, covering several hundred bills for approximately 25 clients during the course of the session.

A few highlights include:

Passing laws to help children…

One of Governor Sandoval’s signature legislative priorities this session was strengthening Nevada’s anti-bullying laws. The Governors proposal created the Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment within the Nevada Department of Education, established a 24-hour hotline to report incidents of bullying, and imposes strict requirements on school officials to investigate and report bullying. The budget allocates $16 million for a grant program for schools to provide a social worker in each school to help carry out the new provisions, while a companion bill created the “Safe to Tell Program” which requires the Office for a Safe and Respectful Learning Environment to establish a program enabling any person to anonymously report any dangerous, violent, or unlawful activity which is being conducted or threatened to be conducted on the property of a public school.

Passing laws to help animals…

To create consistency with federal guidelines, Nevada limited the state definition of “service animal” to conform to the federal definition under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Only dogs or, under certain circumstances, miniature horses can qualify as service animals under this definition. This prevents people from seeking to bring animals ranging from cats to pythons into hotels and casinos and claiming that they must be allowed to do so because they are service animals.

Even passing laws on ourselves…

The legislature also placed significant limitations on lobbying expenditures. The bill prohibits (effective January 1, 2016) a lobbyist from making a gift to a member of the Legislative Branch or a member of his or her immediate family, whether or not the Legislature is in session. “Gift” is very broadly defined to include “any payment, conveyance, transfer, distribution, deposit, advance, loan, forbearance, subscription, pledge or rendering of money, services or anything else of value, unless consideration of equal or greater value is received.”

 

Still Flipping the Script

It’s been more than five years since our CEO, Billy, came into the office after a rash of teen suicides caused by bullying, and said “we need to do something.” Flip the Script was born, and dozens of employees from across disciplines and offices got involved with this R&R-created campaign that is still near and dear to our hearts.

While the creative team came up with ads, the media team got space donated, and the PR team got press coverage, the Nevada government affairs team worked to strengthen anti-bullying laws in the state. In baby steps, we helped pass legislation that proclaimed the first week of every October the “Week of Respect,” established school safety teams, strengthened reporting requirements on bullying incidents, and more. But it wasn’t enough. Parents weren’t hearing of incidents involving their kids, and the new laws were tough to enforce.

image1

On May 20, Governor Sandoval signed into law Senate Bill 504, the strongest anti-bullying legislation Nevada has ever had. The bill revises the definition of bullying, creates a separate anti-bullying office within the Nevada Department of Education, strengthens reporting requirements for bullying incidents, and creates a 24-hour hotline and a website for submitting complaints. R&R’s efforts kept this issue front and center in the last three legislative sessions, and working with the school districts and elected officials, we helped make changes that will directly impact Nevada students.

There are many campaigns of which we are incredibly proud. Flip the Script symbolizes the passion of our employees for social causes that create real, meaningful change and help the communities in which we work. Below is a link to a story on Governor Sandoval’s signing ceremony for the bill:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/nevada-gov-brian-sandoval-signs-anti-bullying-legislation

Join us for #RRchat this Friday

As our society becomes more engaged in social media, we turn to digital avenues to raise awareness for everything from stating our point of views on hot topics to promoting our businesses. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have replaced traditional means of getting our message across, reaching more people than ever before.

Join us for this Friday’s #RRchat on Twitter from 1-2 p.m. to talk about how Social Media is helping to drive awareness on topics such as your health status and the upcoming election season. Check out the questions below for a sneak peak of the discussion points.

1. Facebook now lets users ID themselves as organ donors. Will you share your organ donor status for all to see?
2. Every November, men around the world grow a mustache to raise funds and awareness for men’s health issues. Do you think this impacts others’ awareness on issues like prostate cancer?
3. With elections just around the corner, politicians are already sprucing up their social media presence. How can having a social presence help raise awareness about their stance on issues?

Talk to you on Friday!