Candidate Comparison:

Nevada Senate

Cortez-Masto

Catherine Cortez Masto (D)

Laxalt

Adam Laxalt (R)

Wages

Cortez Masto supported pandemic legislation to provide stimulus checks, help frontline workers, and bolster health systems in states.	Laxalt said he is “certainly opposed to raising the minimum wage.”
In 2021, Cortez Masto voted for the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act to make it harder for employers to hide gender pay discrimination. [1]	Laxalt led a coalition of 21 states against expanding overtime eligibility to more than 8 million workers and said he was “proud” to have led the effort. [2]

Paid Time Off & Sick Leave

Cortez Masto supports paid leave, having voted for the American Rescue Plan Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.	Laxalt has no plan to support working families who need to care for themselves or a family member.
In 2021, Cortez Masto voted for the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act to make it harder for employers to hide gender pay discrimination. [1]

Helping Essential Workers

Cortez Masto voted for the American Rescue Plan, which includes funds that state and local governments can use to provide premium pay to essential workers. [5]	Laxalt did not support any efforts to assist essential workers in the pandemic. [6]

Health Care

Cortez Masto cosponsored the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would cap out-of-pocket Insulin costs. She introduced the Dependent Income Exclusion Act, which would make health care more affordable for families with working children.	Laxalt was a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act and proposed additional hurdles to Nevada families in qualifying for coverage. [8]
Cortez Masto supports the Affordable Care Act which expanded health insurance coverage to tens of millions of Americans, reduced drug costs and health care costs for seniors, as well as protected millions of Americans with preexisting conditions. She introduced legislation to extend telehealth coverage. [7]

Economic Insecurity & Inflation

During the pandemic, Cortez Masto introduced several bills to help Nevada’s economy recover such as the Gas Prices Relief Act, to suspend the federal gas tax. She called out big oil companies, saying that their “price gouging is wrong.” Cortez Masto introduced the Fair and Transparent Gas Prices Act, which would require the Federal Trade Commission to investigate unfair price gouging.	Laxalt has bashed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act but has proposed no plan for tackling the inflation. [10]
Cortez Masto cosponsored a bill to expand the Child Tax Credit, which would make the tax credit available to families who make under $125,000 and increase the maximum credit. [9]

Unions & Labor

Cortez Masto said that unions “built the middle class, made our workplaces safer, and provided economic security for so many families.”	Laxalt has called unions a “threat to Nevada jobs.” [12]
Cortez Masto is one of the original cosponsors of the PRO Act, which protects workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain. [11]

CHECK THE FACTS: