AB82 requires the governor of Nevada to issue annual proclamations recognizing four cultural and religious observances: Diwali Day, Eid al-Fitr Day, Vaisakhi Day, and Vesak (Buddha) Day. Each proclamation is tied to its respective traditional calendar date, and may encourage media, educators, community leaders, and public officials to highlight the diversity and cultural traditions of the communities that celebrate these holidays.

The Nevada State Assembly passed AB82 on April 17, 2025 by a vote of 33 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the nays because by requiring the governor to issue official proclamations recognizing non-Christian religious observances, the Legislature is granting state endorsement to religious practices outside the Judeo-Christian tradition upon which America’s civil institutions were built. The Founders consistently recognized Almighty God—not a pantheon of deities—as the source of liberty, law, and moral order. By elevating Hindu, Islamic, Sikh, and Buddhist observances to official state recognition, lawmakers promote religious relativism under the guise of inclusion rather than uphold the moral framework that has long sustained the Republic. As George Washington affirmed in his 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation, it is the duty of nations to acknowledge “the providence of Almighty God,” a principle this legislation pointedly disregards.