Nevada leads way on entrepreneurship

The National Speakers Conference, the largest gathering of legislative presiding officers in the country, will convene in Las Vegas in September. Presented by the highly respected State Legislative Leaders Foundation, a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the conference will bring together as many as two-thirds of the sitting speakers of state legislative bodies — a truly bipartisan gathering of colleagues amid a nationally polarized political environment.

The event will allow me talk with my colleagues about a bipartisan initiative that Nevada is leading that can truly unite our nation.

Nevada’s leadership became evident last summer when we became the first state in the nation to enact a Right to Start Act, legislation that implements policy recommendations from Right to Start, a national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority. The legislation enjoyed strong bipartisan support before being signed by Gov. Joe Lombardo.

Entrepreneurship is key, because young businesses create virtually all job growth in America. It enables individuals to pursue their dreams by starting their own businesses and to build wealth as a company grows. Entrepreneurship also benefits everyone, as research in the United States shows that for every 1 percent increase in the entrepreneurship rate, the poverty rate decreases by 2 percent.

Nevada’s Right to Start Act demonstrates our state’s unwavering commitment to removing barriers and empowering individuals to take charge of their entrepreneurial journeys. To facilitate entrepreneurship statewide, it authorized, among other features, the creation of an Office of Entrepreneurship within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. That Office of Entrepreneurship is now led by Kyeema Peart, who is working to strengthen policies and programs supporting the growth of new businesses in the state.

Nevada’s leadership has also spurred bipartisan momentum across the nation in support of Right to Start’s policy recommendations. New Mexico created an Office of Entrepreneurship by executive department action in September 2023. Kansas established a director of small business and entrepreneurship by executive department action in March 2024. Michigan announced in May 2024 the appointment of the state’s first-ever chief innovation ecosystem officer to advance the work of innovators and entrepreneurs. In July 2024, Missouri became the second state to enact a Right to Start Act. Missouri’s act also creates an Office of Entrepreneurship.

What’s so important about these policy actions, led by Nevada, is that they reflect broad bipartisan support for a priority that will help create jobs in every community in each state and throughout the nation. That bipartisan support is not surprising, because polling shows that it reflects the beliefs and aspirations of the vast majority of Americans.

A survey conducted by a bipartisan team of pollsters for Right to Start shows that 94 percent of Americans agree that “it is important to America’s future that citizens have a fair opportunity to start and grow their own business.” Near-unanimity crosses party lines – with 95 percent of Republicans, 95 percent of independents and 92 percent of Democrats agreeing. That broad agreement is rare in politics and policymaking, and it provides a way forward for us as a nation as we seek to find common ground amid so much polarization.

That way forward will empower Nevadans — and increasingly all Americans — to grow new businesses, diversify the economy and benefit from the kinds of innovations that can enhance every community. That near-unanimity should ground and inspire our nation in the months and years ahead, underscoring commitments and ambitions that we share.

Nevada’s leadership in this respect makes our hosting of the National Speakers Conference all the more appropriate. It enables us to showcase a bipartisan development that can truly enhance and advance the nation.

Steve Yeager is speaker of the Nevada Assembly and president of the National Speakers Conference.