The Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee, that august and deliberative body dedicated to the art of lawmaking and the science of frustration, convened on Wednesday to hear testimony on a bill (SB142) from Sen. Fabian Doñate of Las Vegas. It would let working folks keep more of the money they earn before creditors descend upon them like vultures at a prairie dog convention.
At present, the law permits garnishment of wages down to a pittance so meager that even the most miserly of landlords would find it beneath contempt. Doñate’s bill seeks to raise the portion of wages protected from garnishment from a scandalous $400 to a slightly less scandalous $850, a sum which, in this era of inflation and unrepentant rent hikes, might keep body and soul together—if only barely.
Now, for those unfamiliar with the workings of wage garnishment, it is essentially a polite way of saying that a judge can compel an employer to hand over a chunk of a worker’s wages to creditors, whether for unpaid bills, alimony, child support, or some other regrettable financial entanglement. Presently, Nevada employs three differing mathematical formulas to determine how much can be pilfered from a paycheck, ensuring the process remains convoluted.
Under Doñate’s proposal, $850 in weekly disposable income would be entirely exempt from legal pickpocketing. And for those earning more, the percentage taken would be less draconian than before. Additionally, this exemption would adjust every three years with the Consumer Price Index.
The necessity of such protections becomes evident when one considers that Nevada, always eager to be in the upper echelons of dubious statistics, boasts the third-highest debt collection in the nation. As of 2021, nearly 40 percent of all civil filings in the state are for debt collection, for either the financial misfortune of its citizens or the predatory enthusiasm of its creditors. Nationally, in jurisdictions where data is available, over 70 percent of these lawsuits end in default judgments, meaning that defendants rarely even have the privilege of making their case before a judge before their pockets get turned inside out.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled with this proposal. A representative from the Nevada Credit Union League, which counts 400,000 members among its flock, expressed concerns that the bill might hinder the ability to lend money. No doubt, the notion that working people might need a little breathing room before being squeezed dry is a radical one in some circles.
It is worth noting that the state legislature did pass a bill in the last session that would have required debt collectors to provide itemized letters explaining outstanding balances upon request. But Governor Lombardo vetoed the measure, despite its bipartisan support, proving once again that common sense in politics is as rare as an honest gambler in a Virginia City saloon.
During the hearing, Doñate assured those present that he is working on an amendment to the bill and will engage with “all stakeholders,” which, in the language of lawmakers, means that the final product may end up so diluted as to be unrecognizable. Nevertheless, for those Nevadans whose wages are vanishing like smoke in a high desert wind, there remains a glimmer of hope—however faint—that the law may soon take a gentler hand with their hard-earned coin.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
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