Becky Harris

Becky Harris (born 1968) is the former chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and a former state senator.

Becky Harris
Former Chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board
In office
January 22, 2018 – January 27, 2019
Appointed byBrian Sandoval
Preceded byA.G. Burnett
Succeeded bySandra Douglass Morgan
Member of the Nevada Senate
from the 9th district
In office
November 5, 2014 – January 16, 2018
Preceded byJustin Jones
Succeeded byMelanie Scheible
Personal details
Born1968 (age 52–53)
Provo, Utah, United States
Political partyRepublican (since 2004)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 2004)
Spouse(s)R. Garth Harris
Children2
ResidenceLas Vegas
Alma materBrigham Young University
J. Reuben Clark Law School
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
William S. Boyd School of Law
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

Harris was born in Provo, Utah. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1989, with a Juris Doctor from J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU in 1992, with a master's degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2000,[1] and with a LL.M. in Gaming Law and Regulation from the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2016.[2] She is a Distinguished Fellow of Gaming and Leadership at the International Gaming Institute (IGI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas[3] and she is a non-executive director on the board of PointsBet Holdings, an Australian and United States sportsbook operator.[4]

A former Democrat, Harris unsuccessfully ran for the Nevada Assembly in 2012, losing to Andy Eisen. She ran for the Senate in 2014, defeating incumbent Justin Jones.[5][6]

Regarding her party switch, Harris said, "I just evolved and became very fiscally conservative as we began to employ people and take care of other people’s families and looked at what that cost in providing benefits for people and all that kind of thing.”[6]

During the 2015 legislative session, Harris sponsored Senate Bill 262, which gives courts the ability to appoint a nonresident guardian for an adult or child ward. Previously state law required a co-guardian to be a resident of Nevada.[7] The bill ignited the guardianship reform movement in Nevada and resulted in the creation of the Nevada Guardianship Commission along with additional reform legislation.[8]

During the 2017 legislative session, Harris served on the Senate Judiciary, Finance and Education Committees.[9]

Harris received the Nevada Chapter of the Community Associations Institute's Legislator of the Year in 2015, Nevada Association of School Boards' Executive Director's Award in 2015, and the National Education Association Republican Educators Caucus' Pacific Region Legislator of the Year in 2015.[1]

In January 2018, Harris was named chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board by Governor Brian Sandoval. She is the first woman to hold the position.[10] Harris resigned from her state senate seat to accept the appointment.[11]

Personal life

Harris and her husband, R. Garth Harris, have two children: Sydney and Mallory.[12] She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[6]

Electoral history
Nevada Assembly District 21 Republican primary, 2012[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Becky Harris 1,341 63.17
Republican Swadeep Nigam 456 21.46
Republican Jeff Jones 326 15.36
Total votes 2,123 100.00
Nevada Assembly District 21 election, 2012[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Andy Eisen 12,123 50.07
Republican Becky Harris 11,343 46.85
Independent American Les McKay 745 3.08
Total votes 24,211 100.00
Nevada Senate District 9 Republican primary, 2014[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Becky Harris 1,830 50.26
Republican Vick Gill 1,452 39.88
Republican David J. Schoen 206 5.66
Republican Ron Q. Quilang 153 4.20
Total votes 3,641 100.00
Nevada Senate District 9 election, 2014[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Becky Harris 12,475 55.22
Democratic Justin Jones 10,116 44.78
Total votes 22,591 100.00

References
  1. "Senator Becky Harris". Nevada Senate. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  2. "LL.M. in Gaming Law". UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. Schultz, Nicole. "Becky Harris Joins UNLV International Center for Gaming Regulation as Academic Fellow". UNLV News Center. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  4. "POINTSBET APPOINTS FORMER NGCB CHAIR BECKY HARRIS TO BOARD". Gaming Intelligence Services Ltd. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  5. Roerink, Kyle (August 7, 2014). "Becky Harris, Republican Senate candidate, talks on Twitter but turns down media interviews". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. Sebelius, Steve (August 17, 2014). "Becky Harris: Not your typical Republican". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  7. "SB262". NELIS. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  8. "Judges should enforce Nevada's existing guardianship law, reform proponent says". Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 7, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  9. "Committee List". NELIS. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  10. Velotta, Richard N. (January 12, 2008). "State Senator to be first woman to chair Nevada Gaming Control Board". Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  11. Moore, Thomas. "State Sen. Becky Harris to chair Gaming Control Board". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  12. "Becky Harris' Biography". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  13. "NV State Assembly 21 - R Primary 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  14. "NV State Assembly 21 2012". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  15. "NV State Senate 09 - R Primary 2014". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  16. "NV State Senate 09 2014". Our Campaigns. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
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